Antares
Launch of an Antares 230
FunctionMedium expendable launch system
ManufacturerNorthrop Grumman (main)
Pivdenmash (sub)[1]
Country of originUnited States, Ukraine
Project costUS$472 million until 2012[2]
Cost per launchUS$80−85 million[3]
Size
Height
  • 110/120: 40.5 m (133 ft)[4][5]
  • 130: 41.9 m (137 ft)
  • 230/230+: 42.5 m (139 ft)[6]
Diameter3.9 m (13 ft)[7][6]
Mass
  • 110/120/130: 282,000–296,000 kg (622,000–653,000 lb)[5]
  • 230/230+: 298,000 kg (657,000 lb)[6]
Stages2 to 3[7]
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass8,000 kg (18,000 lb)[8]
Associated rockets
ComparableDelta II, Atlas III
Launch history
Status
  • 110: retired
  • 120: retired
  • 130: retired
  • 230: retired
  • 230+: retired
  • 300: Planned
Launch sitesMARS, LP-0A
Total launches18 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 1, 230: 5, 230+: 8)
Success(es)17 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 0, 230: 5, 230+: 8)
Failure(s)1 (130: 1)
First flight
  • 110: April 21, 2013
  • 120: January 9, 2014
  • 130: October 28, 2014
  • 230: October 17, 2016
  • 230+: November 2, 2019
Last flight
  • 110: September 18, 2013
  • 120: July 13, 2014
  • 130: October 28, 2014
  • 230: April 17, 2019
  • 230+: August 2, 2023
Type of passengers/cargoCygnus
First stage (Antares 100-series)
Empty mass18,700 kg (41,200 lb)[5]
Gross mass260,700 kg (574,700 lb)[5]
Powered by2 × NK-33[9]
Maximum thrust3,265 kN (734,000 lbf)[9]
Specific impulseSea level: 297 s
Vacuum: 331 s[5]
Burn time235 seconds[5]
PropellantRP-1/LOX[9]
First stage (Antares 200-series)
Empty mass20,600 kg (45,400 lb)[6]
Gross mass262,600 kg (578,900 lb)[6]
Powered by2 × RD-191
Maximum thrust3,844 kN (864,000 lbf)[6]
Specific impulseSea level: 311.9 s
Vacuum: 339.2 s[6]
Burn time215 seconds[6]
PropellantRP-1/LOX
Second stage – Castor 30A/B/XL
Gross mass
  • 30A: 14,035 kg (30,942 lb)
  • 30B: 13,970 kg (30,800 lb)
  • 30XL: 26,300 kg (58,000 lb)[5]
Propellant mass
  • 30A: 12,815 kg (28,252 lb)
  • 30B: 12,887 kg (28,411 lb)[5]
  • 30XL: 24,200 kg (53,400 lb)[6]
Maximum thrust
  • 30A: 259 kN (58,200 lbf)
  • 30B: 293.4 kN (65,960 lbf)[9][5]
  • 30XL: 474 kN (107,000 lbf)[10]
Burn time
  • 30A: 136 seconds
  • 30B: 127 seconds
  • 30XL: 156 seconds[5][6]
PropellantTP-H8299/aluminium[11]

Antares has been launched a total of 18 times since April 2013. All of the launches have been successful, except for Cygnus CRS Orb-3.

About the Antares

Antares (/ænˈtɑːriːz/), known during early development as Taurus II, is an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman) and the Pivdenne Design Bureau to launch the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's COTS and CRS programs. Able to launch payloads heavier than 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) into low Earth orbit, Antares is currently the largest rocket operated by Northrop Grumman. Antares launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and made its inaugural flight on April 21, 2013.[12]

NASA awarded Orbital a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Space Act Agreement (SAA) in 2008 to demonstrate delivery of cargo to the International Space Station. Orbital (and later Northrop Grumman) used Antares to launch its Cygnus spacecraft for these missions. As of August 2023 it has only been used for Cygnus launches to the ISS, despite it being intended for commercial launches. Originally designated the Taurus II, Orbital Sciences renamed the vehicle Antares, after the star of the same name,[13] on December 12, 2011.

Out of 17 total launches, Antares has suffered one failure. During the fifth launch on October 28, 2014, the rocket failed catastrophically, and the vehicle and payload were destroyed.[14] The rocket's first-stage engines were identified as the cause for the failure. A different engine was chosen for subsequent launches, and the rocket had a successful return to flight on October 17, 2016.

The Antares has flown two major design iterations, the 100 series and 200 series. Both series have used a Castor 30XL as an upper stage but have differed on the first stage.[15] The 100 series used two Kerolox powered AJ26 engines in the first stage and launched successfully four times. The 100 series was retired following a launch failure in 2014.[16] The 200 series which first flew in 2016 also featured a Kerolox first stage but instead used two RD-181 engines along with other minor upgrades. The 200 series future became uncertain following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Due to the first stage being produced in Ukraine and the engines in Russia, future production of the rocket was unable to be continued.[15] As a result Northrop Grumman entered into an agreement with Firefly Aerospace to build the first stage of the Antares 300 series. Northrop also contracted with SpaceX for 3 Falcon 9 launches.[17]

Launch statistics

Rocket configurations

  •   Antares 110
  •   Antares 120
  •   Antares 130
  •   Antares 230
  •   Antares 230+

Launch outcomes

1
2
3
2013
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23
  •   Failure
  •   Partial failure
  •   Success
  •   Scheduled

Launch contractor

1
2
3
2013
'14
'15
'16
'17
'18
'19
'20
'21
'22
'23

Past launches

Flight No. Date / time (UTC) Rocket variant Launch site Payload,
Spacecraft name		 Payload mass Orbit Launch contractor User Launch
outcome
1 April 21, 2013
21:00		 Antares 110 MARS Pad 0A Low Earth Orbital Sciences Corporation NASA Success
Antares A-ONE, Antares test flight, using a Castor 30A second stage and no third stage.[12][18]
2 September 18, 2013
14:58		 Antares 110 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (standard) Orb-D1
G. David Low[19]		 700 kg
(1,543 lb)[20]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital Sciences Corporation NASA Success
Orbital Sciences COTS demonstration flight. First Antares mission with a real Cygnus capsule, first mission to rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station, second launch of Antares. The rendezvous maneuver was delayed due to a computer data link problem,[21] but the issue was resolved and berthing followed shortly thereafter.[22][23]
3 January 9, 2014
18:07		 Antares 120 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-1
C. Gordon Fullerton[19]		 1,260 kg
(2,780 lb)[24]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital Sciences Corporation NASA Success
First Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) mission for Cygnus, and first Antares launch using the Castor 30B upper stage.[25][26]
4 July 13, 2014
16:52		 Antares 120 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-2
Janice Voss[27]		 1,494 kg
(3,293 lb)[28]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital Sciences Corporation NASA Success
Spacecraft carried supplies for the ISS, including research equipment, crew provisions, hardware, and science experiments.[29]
5 October 28, 2014
22:22		 Antares 130 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (standard) CRS Orb-3
Deke Slayton[30]		 2,215 kg
(4,883 lb)[31]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital Sciences Corporation NASA Failure
LOX turbopump failure T+6 seconds. Rocket fell back onto the pad and exploded.[32][33][34] First Antares launch to use Castor 30XL upper stage. In addition to ISS supplies, payload included a Planetary Resources Arkyd-3 satellite[35] and a NASA JPL/UT Austin CubeSat mission named RACE.[36]
6 October 17, 2016
23:45		 Antares 230 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-5
Alan G. Poindexter[37]		 2,425 kg
(5,346 lb)[38]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital ATK NASA Success
First launch of Enhanced Cygnus on Orbital's new Antares 230.[39][40][41][42]
7 November 12, 2017
12:19		 Antares 230 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-8E
Gene Cernan[43]		 3,338 kg
(7,359 lb)[44]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital ATK NASA Success
8 May 21, 2018
08:44		 Antares 230 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS OA-9E
J.R. Thompson[45]		 3,350 kg
(7,386 lb)[46]		 Low Earth (ISS) Orbital ATK NASA Success
Spacecraft carried ISS hardware, crew supplies, and scientific payloads, including the Cold Atom Lab and the Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology experiment.[46] The Cygnus also demonstrated boosting the station's orbital velocity for the first time, by 0.06 meter per second.[47]
9 November 17, 2018
09:01		 Antares 230 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-10
John Young		 3,416 kg
(7,531 lb)		 Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
Largest number of satellites launched on a single rocket (108). Cygnus NG-10, CHEFsat 2, Kicksat 2, 104 Sprite Chipsats (deployed from Kicksat 2), MYSAT 1.
10 April 17, 2019
20:46		 Antares 230 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-11
Roger Chaffee[48]		 3,447 kg (7,600 lbs) Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
Launched the last mission under the Commercial Resupply Services-1 for Cygnus.[48]
11 November 2, 2019
13:59		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-12
Alan Bean[49]		 3,728 kg (8,221 lbs) Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
Cygnus NG-12 is the first mission under the NASA Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract. NG-12 is also the first to use upgraded launcher, Antares 230+.
12 February 15, 2020
20:21		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-13
Robert Lawrence, Jr.		 3,377 kg (7,445 lbs) Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
13 October 3, 2020
01:16		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-14
Kalpana Chawla		 3,458 kg (7,624 lbs)[50] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
Spacecraft carried ISS hardware, crew supplies, and scientific payloads, including a new toilet (Universal Waste Management System, UWMS), Ammonia Electrooxidation, radishes for Plant Habitat-02, drugs for targeted cancer treatments with Onco-Selectors, and a customized 360-degree camera to capture future spacewalks.[51][50]
14 February 20, 2021
17:36		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-15
Katherine Johnson		 3,810 kg (8399 lbs)[52] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
This mission carried over 8,000 pounds of cargo including roundworms to study muscle loss and the Spaceborne Computer 2, as well as an experiment to study the protein-based manufacturing of artificial retinas.[53]
15 August 10, 2021
22:01		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-16
Ellison Onizuka		 3,723 kg (8210 lbs)[54] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
16 February 19, 2022
17:40		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-17
Piers Sellers		 3,800 kg (8,400 lb)[55] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
17 November 7, 2022
10:32		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-18
Sally Ride		 3,652 kg (8,051 lb)[56] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
18 August 2, 2023
00:31		 Antares 230+ MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-19
Laurel Clark		 3,729 kg (8,221 lb)[57] Low Earth (ISS) NGIS NASA Success
Final Antares 230+ launch.

Note: Cygnus CRS OA-4, the first Enhanced Cygnus mission, and Cygnus OA-6 were propelled by Atlas V 401 launch vehicles while the new Antares 230 was in its final stages of development. Cygnus CRS OA-7 was also switched to an Atlas V 401 and launched on April 18, 2017

    Future launches

    Date / time (UTC) Rocket variant Launch site Payload Orbit User
    June 2025[58] Antares 330 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-23 Low Earth (ISS) NASA
    First flight of the Antares 330.
    January 2026[59] Antares 330 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-24 Low Earth (ISS) NASA
    Second flight of the Antares 330.
    2026[60] Antares 330 MARS Pad 0A Cygnus (enhanced) CRS NG-25 Low Earth (ISS) NASA
    Third flight of the Antares 330.

    Note: Cygnus NG-20, Cygnus NG-21, and Cygnus NG-22 will be propelled by Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicles while the new Antares 330 is in development.

    References

    1. ↑ Launches of Ukrainian LV
    2. ↑ Rosenberg, Zach (April 30, 2012). "Orbital Sciences development costs increase". Flight International from Flightglobal.com.
    3. ↑ Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers (PDF) (Report). U.S. Government Accountability Office. August 2017. p. 30. GAO-17-609. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 2, 2022.
    4. ↑ Kyle, Ed (May 14, 2011). "Taurus 2". Space Launch Report.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Antares (100 Series)". SpaceFlight101. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Antares 200 Series – Rockets". spaceflight101.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
    7. 1 2 "Antares Medium-class Launch Vehicle: Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
    8. ↑ "Antares - Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 2017. FS007_06_OA_3695_021317. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
    9. 1 2 3 4 "Antares Medium-Class Launch Vehicle: Brochure" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
    10. ↑ "Antares". Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017. Alt URL Archived 2020-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
    11. ↑ Graham, William (April 21, 2013). "Antares conducts a flawless maiden launch". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
    12. 1 2 Perrotto, Trent J. (April 21, 2013). "NASA Partner Orbital Sciences Test Launches Antares Rocket" (Press release). NASA. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
    13. ↑ Beneski, Barron (December 12, 2011). "Orbital Selects "Antares" as Permanent Name for New Rocket Created by the Taurus II R&D Program" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation.
    14. ↑ Queally, James; Hennigan, W. J.; Raab, Lauren (October 28, 2014). "Rocket bound for space station blows up just after liftoff". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
    15. 1 2 "Northrop Grumman and Firefly to partner on upgraded Antares". SpaceNews. 2022-08-08. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
    16. ↑ Clark, Stephen. "Engine turbopump eyed in Antares launch failure – Spaceflight Now". Retrieved 2022-08-09.
    17. ↑ Roulette, Joey (2022-08-08). "Northrop taps rocket startup Firefly to replace Antares' Russian engines". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
    18. ↑ "Antares Cold Flow Testing Begins and Antares A-ONE Gets All Dressed Up". Orbital Sciences Corporation. December 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
    19. 1 2 Pearlman, Robert Z. (December 9, 2013). "Orbital names next space station freighter for late pilot-astronaut". CollectSpace.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
    20. ↑ "Cygnus launch cargo". Spaceflight Now. 14 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
    21. ↑ Dunn, Marcia (September 22, 2013). "Computer mishap delays space station supply ship Cygnus". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
    22. ↑ Bergin, Chris (September 28, 2013). "Orbital's Cygnus successfully berthed on the ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
    23. ↑ Clark, Stephen (May 6, 2013). "First flight of Cygnus cargo craft delayed to September". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
    24. ↑ "New Science, NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station Aboard Orbital-1 Mission" (Press release). NASA. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    25. ↑ Bergin, Chris (February 22, 2012). "Space industry giants Orbital upbeat ahead of Antares debut". NASA Spaceflight. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
    26. ↑ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-1)". Orbital Sciences Corporation. January 12, 2014. Archived from the original on February 8, 2014.
    27. ↑ Rawcliffe, Britt (11 July 2014). "After delays, Orbital Sciences Corporation's Antares rocket set to launch". Spaceflight Insider. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
    28. ↑ "Orbital-2 Mission to the International Space Station: Media Press Kit" (PDF) (Press release). NASA. July 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    29. ↑ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-2)". Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2014. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
    30. ↑ "ISS Commercial Resupply Services Mission (Orb-3): Mission Update – October 22, 2014". Orbital Sciences Corporation. 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
    31. ↑ "Orbital CRS-3 Mission to the International Space Station: Media Press Kit" (PDF) (Press release). NASA. October 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    32. ↑ National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA Independent Review Team Orb–3 Accident Investigation Report Executive Summary nasa.gov
    33. ↑ "Antares explodes moments after launch". Spaceflight Now. October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
    34. ↑ Wall, Mike (October 28, 2014). "Private Orbital Sciences Rocket Explodes During Launch, NASA Cargo Lost". Space.com. Purch. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
    35. ↑ Wilhelm, Steve (October 16, 2014). "First step toward asteroid mining: Planetary Resources set to launch test satellite". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
    36. ↑ "RACE Mission". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
    37. ↑ "S.S. Alan Poindexter: Orbital ATK freighter named for late shuttle astronaut". collectSPACE. 7 June 2015.
    38. ↑ "OA-5 Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital ATK. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
    39. ↑ "Orbital ATK Team on Track for Fall 2015 Cygnus Mission and Antares Return to Flight in 2016". Orbital ATK. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
    40. ↑ "Launch Manifest". Orbital Sciences Corporation. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
    41. ↑ "Orbital Announces Go-Forward Plan for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Program and the Company's Antares Launch Vehicle". orbital.com. Orbital Sciences Corporation. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
    42. ↑ Clark, Stephen (October 17, 2016). "Spaceflight Now — Live coverage: Antares rocket returns to flight Monday". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
    43. ↑ "Cygnus "S.S. Gene Cernan" En-Route to Space Station after Sunday Morning Commute to Orbit". Spaceflight101.com. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
    44. ↑ "Overview – Orbital ATK CRS-8 Mission" (PDF) (Press release). NASA. 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    45. ↑ Clark, Stephen (18 May 2018). "Antares rocket rolls to Virginia launch pad, liftoff delayed to Monday". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
    46. 1 2 "Overview: Orbital ATK CRS-9 Mission" (PDF). NASA. 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
    47. ↑ Foust, Jeff (2018-05-21). "Antares launches Cygnus cargo spacecraft to ISS". spacenews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
    48. 1 2 "Antares, Cygnus launch on final CRS1 contract flight; debuting critical new capabilities". NASASpaceFlight.com. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
    49. ↑ "Upgraded Antares ready to launch first CRS2 NASA flight of Cygnus". NASASpaceFlight.com. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
    50. 1 2 Gohd, Chelsea (2 October 2020). "Antares rocket launches new astronaut toilet and more to space station for NASA". Space.com. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
    51. ↑ "NASA Science, Cargo Heads to Space Station on Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission". nasa.gov. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
    52. ↑ "Northrop Grumman CRS-15 Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
    53. ↑ Powers, Kelly. "Worm muscles, artificial retinas, space laptops: NASA Wallops launches rocket to ISS". Dover Post. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
    54. ↑ "Overview for Northrop Grumman's 16th Commercial Resupply Mission". NASA. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
    55. ↑ "Overview for Northrop Grumman's 17th Commercial Resupply Mission". ISS Program Office. NASA. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    56. ↑ Navin, Joseph (5 November 2022). "SS Sally Ride Cygnus launches to ISS on NG-18 mission". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
    57. ↑ Josh, Dinner (2 August 2023). "Antares rocket makes its final launch, sending cargo to the International Space Station". space.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
    58. ↑ "Antares 330 - CRS NG-23". Next Spaceflight. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
    59. ↑ "Antares 330 - CRS NG-24". Next Spaceflight. 30 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
    60. ↑ Baylor, Michael. "Antares 330 - CRS NG-25". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
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