Orbital Antares User Manual

LAUNCH
VEHICLE

Medium Class

™

Antares

Medium-Class Space Launch Vehicle

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Overview

Designed to provide responsive, low-cost, and reliable access to space, Antares is a two-stage

vehicle (with optional third stage) that provides low-Earth orbit (LEO) launch capability for payloads

weighing over 5,000 kg. Internally funded by Orbital, Antares completed a risk reduction mission and a

demonstration of commercial re-supply services for the International Space Station (ISS) under a NASA

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement in 2013. Antares currently is under

contract for eight Commercial Resupply Missions (CRS) to deliver cargo to the International Space

Station, the rst of which was completed in early 2014. The Antares launch system utilizes Orbital's

proven MACH avionics system and many management approaches, engineering standards, production

and test processes common to Orbital’s family of highly successful small-class Pegasus®, Taurus®,

and Minotaur launch vehicles. These proven launch technologies, along with hardware from one of the

world’s leading launch vehicle integrators, combine to provide cost-effective access to a variety of orbits

for civil, commercial and military medium-class payloads.

Design, manufacturing and testing of Antares is taking place in Dulles, Virginia and Chandler, Arizona.

Key Features

• Incorporates both solid and liquid stages and

ight-proven technologies to meet medium-

class mission requirements

• Provides substantial payload performance

into a variety of low inclination low-Earth and

sun-synchronous orbits and interplanetary

trajectories

• Streamlined vehicle/payload integration and

testing via simplied interfaces reduce time from

encapsulation to lift-off

• 3.9 meter fairing accommodates large payloads

• Capable of launching single and multiple

payloads

• Initial launch successfully conducted April 21,

2013 from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Virginia

• Also compatible with the Western Range at

Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB),

Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force

Station (CCAFS) and the Kodiak Launch

Complex (KLC)

Medium-class space launch vehicle

utilizes proven systems from other

Orbital product lines and Zenit heritage

Over 5,000 kg to low-Earth orbit

Designed to achieve a 95% or greater

launch reliability

Mission Partners

Orbital Sciences Corporation

Prime integrator, systems engineering,

avionics, primary structure, testing and

software. Overall Stage 1 development

and integration.

KB Yuzhnoye/Yuzhmash

Stage 1 core design, production

and verication

Aerojet (Rocketdyne)

Stage 1 engines

ATK

Stage 2 motor

Antares

1000

Payload Capability (kg)

Payload (kg)

6000

30

™

PerformanceExpanded View

Payload Fairing

• Diameter: 3.9 m

• Height: 9.9 m

• Structure: Honeycomb core,

composite face

• Separation: Non-contaminating

frangible ring

Stage 2

• ATK CASTOR® 30B solid motor

(CASTOR 120 heritage) with thrust

vectoring

• MACH avionics

Optional Stage 2

• ATK CASTOR 30XL

solid motor with

thrust vectoring

Optional Bi-

Propellant Third

Stage (BTS)

Helium pressure

regulated

bi-propellant

propulsion system

using nitrogen

tetroxide and

hydrazine (Orbital

GEOStar™ bus

heritage)

Optional STAR™

48-Based Third

Stage

• ATK STAR 48BV

high energy upper

stage solid rocket

motor

• Thrust vector

guidance and

control

• 3-axis stabilized

satellite orbit

insertion

Circular Low-Earth Orbit Performance

8,000

Legend
Antares 120 Antares 130 Antares 121

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

38˚

51.6˚
Sun-Sync

38˚

51.6˚
Sun-Sync

500400300200

Circular Orbit Altitude (km)

38˚

51.6˚
Sun-Sync

High Energy Performance

5000

4000

3000

2000

Antares 131

38˚

51.6˚
Sun-Sync

900800700600

122
132

Key Contacts

Mark Pieczynski

VP Southern California

Engineering Center and

Space Launch Business Development

[phone]

[e-mail]

Stage 1

• Two Aerojet (Rocketdyne) AJ26-62 engines

with independent thrust vectoring

• Liquid oxygen/kerosene fueled

• Orbital responsible for system development

and integration

• Core tank design and design verication by

KB Yuzhnoye (Zenit-derived)

• Core tank production by Yuzhmash

• Avionics stage controller uses ight-proven

Orbital MACH components

Orbital Sciences Corporation

45101 Warp Drive

•

Dulles, Virginia 20166

Warren Frick

Program Manager

Advanced Projects

[phone]

[e-mail]

•

www.orbital.com

1000

-60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20

C3 (km2/s2)

Antares Conguration Numbering

First Stage Second Stage Third Stage

1 – Two AJ26-62 LOX/

Kerosene
Fueled Engines

2 – Castor 30B

Solid Motor

3 – Castor 30XL Solid

Motor

0 – None

1 – Bi-Propellant

Third Stage (BTS)

2 – Star 48-Based

Third Stage

©2014 Orbital Sciences Corporation FS007_06_2998