Gallery: Orbital Sciences Scrubs Launch After Premature Cord Detachment
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Orbital Science's Antares rocket sits on the launch pad at Wallops on Tuesday. The water tower holds more than 300,000 gallons of water which is used for sound suppression and to protect the pad from thermal damage during launch.
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The top of the liquid oxygen tank can be seen here on the Antares rocket slated for the demonstration mission to the ISS later this summer. This is where the second stage connects that will hold the Cygnus spacecraft. This rocket is being processed in Orbital's horizontal integration facility (HIF) about a mile from the launch pad.
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At the other end of the Antares the fuel and oxidizer lines can be seen at the base of the rocket. The middle T-line carries the liquid oxygen from the 41,000 gallon tank at the top of the rocket, while the two shorter lines on the sides carry the high grade kerosene from the 21,000 gallon fuel tank.
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A pair of Aerojet AJ26 rocket engines are mounted on a test stand before being integrated to the Antares in the previous photos. Here Orbital can check the six degrees of pitch and yaw motion of the rocket gimbals. The engines were originally built for the Soviet lunar program more than 40 years ago. They were largely redesigned and refurbished in California by Aerojet.
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This Antares was used for a hot-fire test back in February. The rocket and engine will be inspected, and overhauled. It is scheduled to be used for the third Antares launch, which is the first commercial cargo contract flight.
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The second stage of the Antares is powered by a solid fuel rocket made by ATK of Utah. The 33,000 pound rocket will provide the final boost the Cygnus spacecraft into orbit. Future Antares rockets will used a new version of the Castor 30 engine providing it with greater boost capabilities.
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Here the second stage rocket engine can be seen in a photo from last year attached to the Antares that is launching today.
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Cyrillic writing beneath one of the hatches on the Antares shows the Soviet heritage of the Ukrainian made rocket.
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In the HIF at Wallops the rocket scheduled for today's launch is on the left side of the photo. One of the AJ26 rocket engines sits in the foreground. Half of one of the fairings that covers the Cygnus spacecraft at the top of the Antares can be seen on the right.
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A closeup of the base of the Antares sits on the new launch pad built by the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The concrete blast vent is on the right side of the pad. The Atlantic Ocean is just 100 feet or so to the right of the photo.
