{"id":13874,"date":"2018-04-12T19:42:01","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T11:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/orbital-atk-confident-new-rocket-will-win-air-force-support\/"},"modified":"2018-04-12T19:42:01","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T11:42:01","slug":"orbital-atk-confident-new-rocket-will-win-air-force-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/orbital-atk-confident-new-rocket-will-win-air-force-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Orbital ATK confident new rocket will win Air Force support"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Updated April 13.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Artist\u2019s concept of Orbital ATK\u2019s Next Generation Launch system in flight. Credit: Orbital ATK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Orbital ATK\u2019s bid to join the U.S. military\u2019s roster of rockets to haul the most critical national security satellites into orbit faces stiff competition from entrenched launch providers and billionaire entrepreneurs, but the company is confident its Next Generation Launch system will win one of three funding agreements the Air Force is expected to award this summer.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Air Force is preparing to select up to three companies later this year for Launch Services Agreements, the Pentagon\u2019s name for cost-sharing public-private development contracts aimed at giving the military multiple launch options in the 2020s, all with U.S.-supplied booster propulsion systems.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK has launched orbital-class rockets more than 70 times, but the company\u2019s biggest booster \u2014 the Antares \u2014 is sized for medium-size payloads, finding a niche in NASA\u2019s program to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

The solid-fueled Next Generation Launch system proposed by Orbital ATK would more than double the Antares rocket\u2019s payload-carrying capability to most types of orbits, and enable Orbital ATK to place satellites into unique, harder-to-reach orbits that are currently not serviceable by any other launcher in the company\u2019s fleet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very confident that we\u2019re going to receive selections for the next phase,\u201d said Mike Laidley, Orbital ATK\u2019s vice president of the Next Generation Launch program. \u201cWe think that we offer the Air Force a good opportunity to maintain their prime directive of assured access to space. We think solid motor propulsion has a place in this market, and we\u2019re anxious to provide that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
Spaceflight Now members can read a transcript of our full interview with Mike Laidley. Become a member today and support our coverage.<\/h6>\n
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<\/h5>\n

The new rocket would build on solid-fueled rocket motors Orbital ATK built for the space shuttle, but engineers have replaced the shuttle-era motor\u2019s metallic casings with composite materials, reducing their weight and making the rockets easier to build.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key here is that there\u2019s some automated winding equipment that\u2019s going to make it more efficient for us, and it\u2019s an opportunity to refine our processes and build these large 12-foot diameter segmented designs in a very efficient manner compared to the metal cases that were used in the shuttle era,\u201d Laidley said.<\/p>\n

United Launch Alliance, which was the only launch provider certified by the Air Force until 2015, is retiring most of the configurations in its Delta 4 rocket family in 2019, followed by the phase-out of the Delta 4-Heavy version in the early or mid-2020s. The company says the Delta 4 is no longer competitive on cost.<\/p>\n

ULA\u2019s Atlas 5 will be replaced by the Vulcan rocket in the early 2020s, a two-stage launcher that will use U.S.-made engines. This Atlas 5, which is less expensive than the Delta 4, currently uses Russian-made RD-180 engines.<\/p>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket is the other major player in today\u2019s national security launch market. Since its certification by the Air Force in 2015, the Falcon 9 has won contracts to launch five GPS navigation satellites, and is in the running for more military launch deals.<\/p>\n

The Falcon Heavy rocket, which flies with three modified Falcon 9 rocket boosters bolted together, is not yet eligible to launch the military\u2019s most expensive space missions. That certification will come once the Falcon Heavy accrues multiple successful flights, and goes through a detailed Air Force engineering review.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK is a newcomer to the market for launching large military communications, navigation and reconnaissance satellites. But Laidley says the company\u2019s Next Generation Launch system, which uses solid-fueled first and stage stage motors topped with a cryogenic liquid-fueled upper stage, is a solution the Air Force should consider.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working to develop a launch system that would support those EELV (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) mission requirements \u2014 all the different launch payload types and orbits,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been working on that now for about two-and-a-half years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Air Force awarded funding in 2016 to ULA, SpaceX, Orbital ATK and Aerojet Rocketdyne to work on U.S.-made propulsion technology to power new rockets, eyeing a replacement to the Russian RD-180 engine. The funding agreements required the companies to put forward some of their own money in the effort.<\/p>\n

ULA directed much of its funding toward Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon.com\u2019s Jeff Bezos which is testing the BE-4 engine fueled by liquified natural gas. ULA says Blue Origin\u2019s BE-4 engine is their preferred option to power the Vulcan rocket\u2019s first stage. SpaceX\u2019s slice of the Air Force engine money went toward the company\u2019s Raptor engine, a methane-fueled powerplant for a huge new rocket named the BFR, or Big Falcon Rocket.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK focused its funding on the Next Generation Launch system, while Aerojet Rocketdyne \u2014 an engine-builder, not a rocket operator \u2014 advanced the design of its AR1 engine, which ULA is keeping as a backup option for the Vulcan launcher in case the BE-4 runs into trouble.<\/p>\n

Blue Origin received some Air Force propulsion funding routed through ULA for the BE-4 engine, but the lion\u2019s share of the company\u2019s engine development has been privately-funded.<\/p>\n

The Air Force released a follow-up request for proposals in October, seeking bids for government funding to help launch companies pay for their next-generation rockets through the military\u2019s EELV program. The Launch Services Agreements will be announced in the next few months to fund continued work on up to three launch vehicles, followed by a down-select to two providers in late 2019.<\/p>\n

Those two finalists will continue receiving government funding support through their rockets\u2019 test flights.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Artist\u2019s concept of Orbital ATK\u2019s Next Generation Launch system. Credit: Orbital ATK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ULA, SpaceX and Blue Origin are expected to compete for Launch Services Agreements.<\/p>\n

Blue Origin\u2019s chief executive, Bob Smith, said last year the company is in early talks with the Air Force about certifying its own New Glenn rocket for national security missions, potentially placing Blue Origin in competition with ULA, one of its customers. An industry official familiar with matter said Thursday that Blue Origin has submitted a proposal for an Air Force Launch Services Agreement.<\/p>\n

Lacking the financial backing and personality of a billionaire entrepreneur like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, Orbital ATK is flying under the radar. But the company received news earlier this year that keeps it in the competition.<\/p>\n

Laidley said the Air Force informed Orbital ATK in February that the Next Generation Launch system proposal was within the \u201ccompetitive range,\u201d and is eligible for further scrutiny leading up to a potential contract award.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve invested a lot of our money to date, so it was important for the Air Force to evaluate our proposal and say that it\u2019s adequate, and now any money we spend can ultimately be counted toward the cost share investment in the Launch Services Agreement,\u201d Laidley said in a recent interview with Spaceflight Now.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK said in January that the company and the Air Force have jointly invested more than $200 million on the NGL program.<\/p>\n

Laidley declined to how much of Orbital ATK\u2019s own money has been applied to the NGL program, but the terms of the Air Force\u2019s 2016 funding agreement to support development the new rocket\u2019s solid-fueled propulsion system said the Air Force would supply between $46.9 million and $180.2 million for the program\u2019s first phase, with Orbital ATK pledging between $31.1 million and $124.8 million.<\/p>\n

The Air Force requires that companies provide at least one-third of the development cost through internal funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re providing more than the minimum, but it\u2019s competitive, so we\u2019re not prepared to talk about our negotiation strategy,\u201d Laidley said.<\/p>\n

Laidley also declined to provide cost estimates for an individual NGL mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will certainly be competitive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe took a hard look at what those missions have sold for historically, and we can be competitive in that marketplace.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the opportunties we\u2019ve got that others don\u2019t is we do have our own in-house supply of customers. We produce our own satellites. We buy launch services. We\u2019ve historically bought launch services from both of these competitors that are currently in play. We have an in-house opportunity to capture work from our own team, and that makes us unique as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK says the Next Generation Launch system will benefit from upgraded avionics, computers and other technology based on components already used on the company\u2019s smaller rockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got avionics that we\u2019ve developed in-house in our launch vehicle division, and those avionics fly in all of our launch vehicle products, from our small targets that we sell to the Navy, all the way up to Antares,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cAs part of the NGL effort, we\u2019re developing a fault-tolerant version of those avionics, which basically involves taking multiple sets of software voting logic \u2026 That gives the Air Force a lot of confidence that we have a system that\u2019s got a solid flight history.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Orbital ATK wins additional Air Force funding this summer, Laidley said engineers will advance the design of the entire rocket, which has so far been limited to funding from the company\u2019s own coffers. The Air Force money already awarded to Orbital ATK could only be used on developing the NGL system\u2019s Common Booster Segment, derivatives of which would power the rocket\u2019s first and second stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was restricted to developing primary propulsion products that would support the RD-180 replacement,\u201d he said of the existing Air Force funding award. \u201cThe LSA (Launch Services Agreement) money, we need to use it for the launch system or the launch system infrastructure. It\u2019s geared toward putting together an overall launch system. It\u2019s not restricted to the use of any particular stage. We will use the cost-share money to fund the entire system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NGL would come in two basic versions: an intermediate and a heavy configuration.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The NGL\u2019s intermediate and heavy (left and right) configurations. Credit: Orbital ATK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The intermediate version would have a two-segment solid-fueled core stage, called a Castor 600, that would generate 2.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. The heavy version would have a four-segment core rocket motor, the Castor 1200, putting out 3.1 million pounds of thrust.<\/p>\n

Both configurations would have a single-segment Castor 300 second stage motor, built using the same tooling as the multi-segment first stage motors, and a hydrogen-fueled cryogenic upper stage engine. The Castor motors would be produced and tested at Orbital ATK\u2019s facility in Promontory, Utah.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we start through this process, we built these segmented cases so we can do loads testing, burst testing, and use them to develop our manufacturing processes for winding insulation and ultimately pouring the overall motors,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cAll of this is leading up to static fire testing of the first two stages of the intermediate class, what we\u2019re calling the Castor 600, which is a two-segment first stage, and the Castor 300, a single-segment second stage. Those motors will static fire in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The intermediate and heavy configurations could get an additional boost from up to six strap-on boosters, the same 63-inch diameter augmentation motors Orbital ATK is currently qualifying for use on ULA\u2019s Atlas 5 and Vulcan rockets. The number of strap-on boosters on each NGL flight could be tailored based on mission requirements, allowing for odd numbers boosters to fly on the rocket, similar to the Atlas 5\u2019s design, Laidley said.<\/p>\n

The solid rocket boosters, known as GEM 63XLs, would remain attached to the NGL\u2019s first stage in the intermediate version, then jettison together with the core motor. The boosters would separate individually on the heavy version, Laidley said.<\/p>\n

Laidley said Orbital ATK has studied proposals for third stage engines from Blue Origin, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Europe\u2019s Ariane Group. A final decision on the NGL\u2019s upper stage engine is expected soon.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK plans to build the launcher\u2019s 5-meter (16-foot) diameter payload shroud \u2014 roughly the same diameter as fairings flown on Atlas 5, Falcon 9 and Ariane 5 rockets \u2014 at the company\u2019s structures division in Iuka, Mississippi.<\/p>\n

According to an Orbital ATK fact sheet, the intermediate version of NGL will lift between 10,800 pounds (4,900 kilograms) and around 22,300 pounds (10,100 kilograms) into a geostationary transfer orbit, an elliptical loop around Earth commonly by communications satellites transiting to geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator.<\/p>\n

That performance range is comparable to the lift capacity of ULA\u2019s Atlas 5 rocket family.<\/p>\n

The heavy NGL configuration can loft between roughly 11,600 pounds (5,250 kilograms) and 17,200 pounds (7,800 kilograms) of payload directly into geostationary orbit \u2014 eliminating the need for a spacecraft to use its own fuel for major orbital maneuvers.<\/p>\n

The NGL\u2019s exact performance capability depends on the number of solid-fueled boosters added to the rocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re planning on about three to four missions per year to close our business case,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cA couple of those could come from the Air Force and a couple of those could come from either our internal needs or the commercial community. We can close our business case with a fairly low launch rate, and that\u2019s primarily due to the diversity of our business base, and the fact that right now we\u2019ve got a number of other large programs in our launch vehicle division, along with the propulsion systems division and aerospace structures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK does not plan to reuse any parts of the NGL system, despite the company\u2019s history with refurbishing shuttle solid rocket boosters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not planning any reusability in this vehicle,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cWe\u2019re really focusing on commonality with our other product lines and getting as efficient as we can that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the savings, Laidley said, were realized by the merger of Orbital Sciences and ATK in early 2015. The corporate marriage brought together ATK\u2019s experience with solid rocket propulsion and composite structures and Orbital\u2019s knowledge of launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing and operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the merger, it would have been very difficult to pull this together, with hardware coming from different companies,\u201d Laidley said. \u201cIt would have been very difficult for us to be competitive. We think NGL is the first major offering that allows us to leverage all the capabilities of the company that our corporate leaders envisioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK\u2019s expected acquisition by Northrop Grumman should not affect the new rocket\u2019s development, according to Laidley.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe firmly believe the new ownership is committed,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve expressed their interest in this as well. I think this is a program area that they would use as a growth area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assuming Orbital ATK receives the next two tranches of Air Force funding, the intermediate version of the NGL system could make its maiden flight from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the first quarter of 2021, Laidley said. After as few as two successful test missions, the rocket could be certified by the Air Force for national security payloads by the end of 2021.<\/p>\n

The heavy version would follow with two test flights in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proposal we submitted gives the government a firm cost and cost-share proposal all the way through the intermediate and heavy certification flight,\u201d Laidley said.<\/p>\n

Orbital ATK has secured an agreement with NASA to use Mobile Launch Platform No. 3, originally built for the Saturn 5 moon rocket and modified for the space shuttle, for NGL missions. Technicians would stack the rocket inside High Bay 2 in the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building, then roll out to launch pad 39B a few days before liftoff.<\/p>\n

Final details of the agreement to provide for Orbital ATK\u2019s co-use of pad 39B with NASA\u2019s Space Launch System are being worked out now, Laidley said.<\/p>\n

Construction to ready the launch platform and VAB high bay for Orbital ATK\u2019s rocket could begin next year, contingent on the Next Generation Launch system\u2019s green light from the Air Force this summer.<\/p>\n

For a West Coast launch site to support polar orbit missions, Orbital ATK is considering at least two options: Upgrading the Delta 2 launch pad at Space Launch Complex 2-West once that rocket is retired later this year, or moving into Space Launch Complex-6 when the Delta 4-Heavy flies its last mission in the 2020s.<\/p>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: Updated April 13. Artist\u2019s concept of Orbital ATK\u2019s Next Generation Launch system in flight. Credit: Orbital ATK Orbital ATK\u2019s bid to join the U.S. military\u2019s roster of rockets to haul the most critical national security satellites into orbit faces stiff competition from entrenched launch providers and billionaire entrepreneurs, but the company is confident […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[291,2705,428,25,2079,2980,2899,2117],"class_list":["post-13874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-space","tag-eelv","tag-kennedy-space-center","tag-launch","tag-launch-pad-39b","tag-ngl","tag-orbital-atk","tag-us-air-force"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13874"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13874\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}