Orbital's ISS resupply mission gets walloped

Washington, D.C – The Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, suffered a catastrophic failure moments after launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on Oct. 28, 2014 on Wallops Island, Virginia.

 

Approximately 15 seconds after the rocket’s 6:22 p.m. EDT lift-off, an anomalous explosion occurred near the rocket’s base, and the vehicle began to slip earthward. That’s when range officers initiated the rocket’s self-destruct mechanism, which generated a larger explosion that witnesses said could be felt for miles.

 

No injuries were reported, and the launch pad was not seriously damaged despite a raging fire, Orbital Sciences officials said the following day.

 

Cygnus was on its way to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS) on the third resupply mission undertaken by Orbital Sciences. The spacecraft was carrying 4,883 lb (2,215kg) of science investigations, crew supplies, and vehicle hardware. The more than 1,300 lb of food is not in critical need aboard the ISS, since other resupply missions can replace the lost items. The bulk of the commercial resupply mission cargo consisted of science experiments, many provided by U.S. school students.

 

Shortly after the accident, William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, said, “While NASA is disappointed that Orbital Sciences' third contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station was not successful, we will continue to move forward toward the next attempt once we fully understand today's mishap. 

 

“Orbital has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first two missions to the station earlier this year, and we know they can replicate that success. Launching rockets is an incredibly difficult undertaking, and we learn from each success and each setback. Today's launch attempt will not deter us from our work to expand our already successful capability to launch cargo from American shores to the International Space Station,” Gerstenmaier said.

 

Orbital has formed an anomaly investigation board, which will work in close coordination with all appropriate government agencies, to determine the cause of the mishap.

 

“It is far too early to know the details of what happened,” Frank Culbertson, Orbital’s executive vice president and general manager of its Advanced Programs Group, stated in a company press release. “We will conduct a thorough investigation immediately to determine the cause of this failure and what steps can be taken to avoid a repeat of this incident. As soon as we understand the cause we will begin the necessary work to return to flight to support our customers and the nation’s space program.”

 

One leading suspect in the cause of the failure of the Orb-3 launch is one of the two Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ26 engines that power the first stage. These liquid-oxygen-and kerosene-fueled motors are rebuilt or license-built NK-33 engines designed in the former Soviet Union. The first sign of trouble came just after the flight director announced on NASA TV that the engines were operating “at 108%” capacity.

 

David W. Thompson, Orbital’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a conference call that the AJ26 engines “have presented us with serious technical and supply challenges in the past.” One of them exploded during a ground test in May. He added that the company has selected an alternative engine for main propulsion for future flights, and the two-year timeline for its introduction could be accelerated if the AJ26 is implicated in the failure.

 

Despite the setback, he added that work will continue on fulfilling the NASA commercial resupply contract. "We are certainly disappointed by this failure, but in no way are we discouraged or dissuaded from our objectives to expand the Antares rocket well into the medium launch class," Thompson stated.

 

Garrett E. Pierce, Orbital’s vice chairman and chief financial officer, confirmed that insurance will cover the loss of the Cygnus spacecraft contents and damages to NASA’s Wallops launch pad, the only facility capable of launching Antares rockets. Culbertson said earlier the cost of the combined vehicles was more than $200 million. The loss of the Antares was partially covered by insurance, an industry analyst reported. 

 

Thompson responded that “it is too early to provide much insight” into the failure’s effect on the pending merger of Orbital Sciences with Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK), which provides the Antares second-stage solid-propellant rocket motor. Orbital’s stock declined more than 15% the day after the accident.

 

Pierce expects to know the cause of the failure in days, not weeks, and noted the company has faced adversity in the past and always emerged stronger. 

 

The next Antares flight scheduled for April 2015 could be delayed by three months or maybe longer. “I hope it is not more than a year,” Pierce said.

 

Sources: Orbital, NASA