OrbitalHub

Credits: Orbital Sciences Corporation

Orbital Sciences Corporation is proposing a blended lifting body vehicle that will launch atop an expendable launch vehicle in response to NASA’s Commercial Crew Development-2 contract solicitation. The proposed configuration will provide safe and affordable transportation services to and from the International Space Station. The vehicle will carry a crew of four astronauts, and will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and land on a conventional runway similar to a Space Shuttle.

The launch vehicle proposed for the launch stack is the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Orbital’s press release mentions that the whole configuration is flexible enough to accommodate other launch vehicles as well.

Orbital is leading a team of world-class space system manufacturers. The pressurized crew compartment will be provided by Thales Alenia Space, the human-rated avionics will be the responsibility of Honeywell and Draper Laboratory, and the United Launch Alliance will supply the launch vehicle. Northrop Grumman will be the airframe structures designer.