Orbital is now installing the first set of RD-181 engines in an Antares first stage.
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According to investigators, the explosion happened because of a turbopump failure in of the main engines.
The cargo capsule will be loaded with 7,700 pounds of supplies, including science experiments. Shipper Orbital ATK considers it an early Christmas present for the crew.
NASA confirmed the launch date at the conclusion of Tuesday’s launch readiness review at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The fourth, however, the Deke Slayton I, which lifted off on October 29, 2014, was destroyed when the Antares rocket booster it was attached to exploded just moments after leaving the launch pad.
From there, ground controllers in Houston will remotely operate the arm to pull the cargo ship in for berthing at the Earth-facing port of the central Unity module.
Over a year after Orbital ATK’s rocket blew up on the launchpad in Virginia, the company (formerly known as Orbital Science) is ready to send a mission into space.
The two companies have split a $3.6 billion NASA flight contract and are competing with Sierra Nevada Corp. for a new, $3.5 billion deal that is expected to be awarded in January. Once it reaches the space station, the facility will be able to incubate organisms such as bacteria, yeast, algae, fungi and animal cells for study in space’s unique conditions. A short circuit knocked out one of eight power channels in mid-November.
The Atlas V has a near-perfect record. While Orbital has made successful runs to the station before, exploding on the pad even once is no way to keep the customer happy.
‘You’re always a little nervous, but highly confident, ‘ Mike Pinkston, general manager for the Antares, said on the eve of the launch. The company has not flown since then.
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Some of the experiments also represent redos by schoolchildren who lost their original tests on the failed launches. He called them “growing pains” in what still is a transition period. 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. If weather conditions worsen, the team will attempt to launch again tomorrow (Dec. 4) for a December 7 or December 8 arrival. The launch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral was rescheduled for 2:33 p.m. Pacific after bad weather delayed the launch Thursday.
