The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Orbital Sciences Corp. a license to launch a demonstration flight to the International Space Station early next year, the company announced today.
The first launch of Orbital's Cygnus cargo module atop a Taurus II rocket is tentatively planned in late February from Wallops Island, Va.
A first test flight of the Taurus II is planned late this year, and Orbital said an expanded FAA license covering that launch was expected soon.
Dulles, Va.-based Orbital is one of two U.S. companies, along with Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX, on which NASA is relying to deliver cargo to the station after the shuttle's retirement.
SpaceX hopes to launch its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on a demonstration flight to the station Nov. 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The schedule for both demonstration flights will depend on NASA's ability to keep the space station staffed beyond this fall following last week's failed Russian resupply mission.
New crews won't be able to fly to the station until a Russian commission completes an investigation of the failure, which involves a Soyuz rocket similar to the one that launches astronauts and cosmonauts.
IMAGE: Artist rendering of Taurus II Launch. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.
4 comments:
Glad to see good news from any of the commercial companies now to memploy the KSC workers would be a Home Run outta the park ... good things come with time and patience
I would not want to be on this low bidder vehicle.
Their track record is less than desireable for manned space, cargo okay.
deltadog wrote:
"I would not want to be on this low bidder vehicle."
Since it's a CARGO ship, no one will ever be on it. Duh.
THE GOAL IS TO CARRY MEN IN THE FUTURE.
MUSK STILL HAS PROBLEMS WITH HIS
X-WIFE, I HOPE HE HANDLES THIS PROBLEM BETTER.
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