OrbitalHub

Wikipedia dixit:

“ULA plans an “incremental approach” to rolling out the vehicle and its technologies. Deployment will begin with the first stage, based on the Delta IV’s fuselage diameter and production process and is expected to use two BE-4 engines. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR-1 engine is being retained by ULA as a contingency option, with a final decision to be made in 2016. The first stage can have from zero to six solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and in the maximal configuration could launch a heavier payload than the highest-rated Atlas V, though still less than the Delta IV Heavy. A later feature is planned to make the first stage partly reusable. ULA plans to develop the technology to allow the engines to detach from the vehicle after cutoff, descend through the atmosphere with a heat shield and parachute, and finally be captured by a helicopter in mid-air. In April 2015, ULA estimated that reusing the engines would reduce the cost of the first stage propulsion by 90%, with propulsion being 65% of the total first stage build cost.

Initial configurations of Vulcan will use the same Centaur upper stage as the Atlas V, with its existing RL-10 engines. A later advanced cryogenic upper stage — called the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) — is conceptually planned for full development by ULA in the late 2010s. ACES would be LOX and liquid hydrogen (LH2) powered by one to four rocket engines yet to be selected. This upper stage will include the Integrated Vehicle Fluids technology that could allow long on-orbit life of the upper stage, measured in weeks rather than hours.”

Video credit: ULA

NASA dixit:

“A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying 11 satellites for ORBCOMM. The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returned to Earth and landed safely six miles from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station […]. It was the first time a booster of its kind was successfully recovered in such a manner.”

Video credit: NASA/SpaceX

NASA dixit:

“On Dec.6, Orbital ATK’s enhanced Cygnus spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to the International Space Station, on a mission to deliver more than 7,000 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory. This is Orbital ATK’s fourth contracted mission to the station under the agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract.”

From Orbital ATK news release:

“Orbital ATK has named the OA-4 Cygnus the “S.S. Deke Slayton II,” upholding the tradition of naming each Cygnus in honor of astronauts and individuals who contributed to the United States’ commercial space program.

“With the naming of this spacecraft, we continue our commitment to honor the late Donald ‘Deke’ K. Slayton, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and a champion of America’s commercial space program and leadership in space,” said Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK’s Space Systems Group. “We are pleased that the enhanced Cygnus that bears his name will be able to provide up to 53 percent more in cargo weight to the International Space Station than our previously flown standard version.”

Cygnus, like most Orbital ATK spacecraft, is compatible with multiple launch vehicles, enabling the use of ULA’s Atlas V launch vehicle on this mission. The enhanced Cygnus has several new features, including lightweight UltraFlexTM solar arrays, a mass optimized Service Module structure and a lighter weight propulsion system. In addition to food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts and equipment, the Cygnus spacecraft is carrying science experiments to expand the research capability of the Expedition 45 and 46 crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Orbital ATK has three CRS missions scheduled in 2016 to support NASA’s ISS cargo needs. A second Cygnus/Atlas V launch will take place next spring from Florida, followed by the return of operations to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in mid-2016 where the company will continue CRS missions atop the upgraded Antares rocket.

Under the CRS contract with NASA, Orbital ATK will deliver approximately 62,000 pounds (28,000 kilograms) of cargo to the ISS over 10 missions through 2018. The partnership is changing the way NASA does business, helping build a strong American commercial space industry and freeing the agency to focus on developing the next-generation rocket and spacecraft that will enable humans to travel farther in space than ever before.”

Video credit: NASA/Orbital ATK

ESA dixit:

“Liftoff of Vega VV06 carrying LISA Pathfinder from Europe’s Spaceport, French Guiana, at 04:04 GMT/05:04 CET on 3 December 2015. Vega will place LISA Pathfinder into an elliptical orbit around our planet. Then, the spacecraft will use its own propulsion module to raise the highest point of the orbit in six stages. The last burn will propel the spacecraft towards its operational orbit, around a stable point called L1, some 1.5 million km from Earth towards the Sun.

Once on its final orbit, LISA Pathfinder will test key technologies for space-based observation of gravitational waves. These ripples in the fabric of spacetime are predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity but have not yet been directly detected.

To demonstrate the fundamental approach that could be used by future missions to observe these elusive cosmic fluctuations, LISA Pathfinder will realize the best free-fall ever achieved in space. It will do so by reducing all the non-gravitational forces acting on two cubes and monitoring their motion and attitude to unprecedented accuracy.”

Video credit: ESA/Arianespace

Arianespace dixit:

“Arianespace successfully launched two satellites [on November 10]: Arabsat-6B (BADR-7) for the operator Arabsat, and GSAT-15 for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). The company’s tenth launch of the year from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), and sixth with the Ariane 5 heavy launcher, took place on November 10 at 6:34 pm local time in Kourou, French Guiana. Through this mission, the 69th successful launch in a row by Ariane 5, Arianespace is proud to deliver reliable, sustainable solutions to Arabsat and ISRO, two loyal customers for over 30 years.

Arabsat is the leading regional satellite telecommunications operator in the Middle East and Africa. Arabsat-6B (BADR 7) is the ninth satellite orbited by Arianespace for this operator since the launch of Arabsat-1A in 1985. This satellite is the first of the sixth generation of satellites in the Arabsat fleet. It will provide telecommunications and direct- to-home (DTH) TV broadcast services for the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. In 2012 Arabsat also confirmed its goal of bolstering its position in the Europe-Middle East-Africa (EMEA) zone by acquiring the company Hellasat. Arianespace will be launching another Arabsat satellite, Hellasat-4.

GSAT-15 is the 19th satellite to be launched by Arianespace for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). It will provide telecommunications services for the country, along with dedicated navigation-aid and emergency services. Arianespace has launched 91% of ISRO’s geostationary satellites that used non-Indian launch systems, dating back to the launch of the country’s experimental satellite APPLE on Flight L03 in 1981. The favored relationship between Arianespace and ISRO reflects the exemplary collaboration in the space sector between France and India, a partnership that will help ISRO realize its aim of using space to foster the development of the Indian sub-continent through a full range of satellite applications, for Earth observation, telecommunications, science and navigation.”

Video credit: ESA

Arianespace dixit:

“Two telecommunications satellites that will provide expanded relay capacity for Australia and Argentina were orbited today on Arianespace’s ninth mission in 2015 – putting the company on track to perform a record 12 flights this year using its three-member launch vehicle family, which consists of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega. Lifting off exactly on time during a daylight departure from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 utilized for today’s mission deployed its Sky Muster and ARSAT-2 satellite passengers during a 32-minute flight sequence. It marked the 82nd mission overall using Arianespace’s workhorse launcher, as well as the 68th consecutive Ariane 5 success. In post-launch comments, Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël confirmed that Arianespace was on pace for a record-setting operational performance this year (12 flights from the Spaceport in 12 months), and also highlighted the company’s continued commitment to quality. The Ariane 5 ascends from the Spaceport in French Guiana with a dual-satellite payload of Sky Muster and ARSAT-2.

Further extending Ariane 5’s track record of highly accurate payload delivery, the estimated orbital parameters at injection of its cryogenic upper stage for Flight VA226 were:

– Perigee: 249.2 km. for a target of 249.5 km.

– Apogee: 35,911 km. for a target of 35,927 km.

– Inclination: 5.99 deg. for a target of 6.00 deg.

The first-released passenger on today’s mission was Sky Muster, which is the initial satellite to be operated by nbnâ„¢ – a service provider owned by the Commonwealth of Australia. This company’s objective is to ensure all Australians have access to fast broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices and at the least cost to taxpayers. Built by Palo Alto-based SSL (Space Systems Loral), Sky Muster is scheduled to operate from geostationary orbit. It is designed to deliver broadband services to more than 200,000 rural and remote Australians, providing coverage to the entire country – including the Norfolk, Christmas, Macquarie and Cocos islands. Launch of nbn’s second spacecraft also has been entrusted to Arianespace. […]

Completing today’s mission was the deployment of ARSAT-2, which is the second of three geostationary satellites that will increase Argentina’s telecommunications capacity and guarantee the same level of connectivity quality across the country’s regions. Arianespace successfully orbited the first of these relay platforms – ARSAT-1 – on an Ariane 5 flight in October 2014. Built under the responsibility Argentina’s INVAP, ARSAT-2 will be operated by the state-owned Argentinian operator ARSAT (Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales Sociedad Anónima) to provide direct-to-home (DTH) television, Internet access services for reception on VSAT antennas, along with data transmission and IP telephony.”

Video credit: ESA / Arianespace