Antares A-ONE

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
(Redirected from Cygnus Mass Simulator)
Jump to: navigation, search
Antares A-ONE
File:Antares 110 rocket for A-ONE mission.jpg
The assembled Antares A-One rocket inside the Horizontal Integration Facility at Wallops
Mission type Technology demonstration
Operator Orbital Sciences
COSPAR ID 2013-016D
SATCAT № 39145
Mission duration 603 seconds[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft Cygnus mass simulator
Manufacturer Orbital Sciences
Launch mass 3,800 kg (8,400 lb)
Dimensions 5.061 × 2.896 m (199.25 × 114 in)
Start of mission
Launch date 21 April 2013, 21:00:02.2 (2013-04-21UTC21:00:02) UTC[2][3]
Rocket Antares 110[4]
Launch site MARS LP-0A
Contractor Orbital Sciences
End of mission
Disposal Deorbited
Decay date 10 May 2013 (2013-05-11) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 241 km (150 mi)[5]
Apogee 260 km (162 mi)[5]
Inclination 51.64°[5]
Epoch 21 April 2013
Antares A-ONE mission emblem.png

Antares A-ONE was the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket with a boilerplate payload, the Cygnus Mass Simulator, which was launched 21 April 2013.[6] It was launched from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, USA.[5] The boilerplate payload simulates the mass of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft.[5] This dummy payload was sent into an orbit of "approximately 150 by 160 miles" (240 km x 260 km) with an inclination of 51.6 degrees.[6]

Four Spaceflight Inc. CubeSat nanosatellites were deployed from the dummy payload.[7]

This launch along with several other activities leading up to it, are paid milestones under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.[8]

Payloads

The primary payload was the Cygnus Mass Simulator (CMS). It had a height of 199.25 inches (5,061 mm), a diameter of 114 inches (2,900 mm) and a mass of 8,400 pounds (3,800 kg).[9] It was equipped with 22 accelerometers, 2 microphones, 12 digital thermometers, 24 thermocouples and 12 strain gages.[9]

The secondary payloads were four CubeSats that were deployed from the CMS.[9] Three of them were PhoneSats, 1U CubeSats built by NASA's Ames Research Center.[9] These were named Alexander, Graham and Bell, after the inventor of the telephone.[9] The purpose of these three satellites was to demonstrate the use of smartphones as avionics in CubeSats.[9] They each had a mass of 2.48 lb (1.124 kg) and were powered by lithium batteries.[9] The fourth nanosat was a 3U CubeSat, called Dove-1, built by Cosmogia Inc. It carried a "technology development Earth imagery experiment" using the Earth's magnetic field for attitude control.[9][10]

Mission timeline

  • Lift off of the Antares rocket occurs two seconds after the first stage engines are ignited.
  • The first stage engines shut off 228 seconds after lift-off.
  • At 233 seconds, the second stage separates from the first.
  • At 317 seconds, the payload fairing is jettisoned.
  • At 326 seconds, the second stage's engine is ignited.
  • At 481 seconds, the second stage is shut off.
  • At 601 seconds, the Cygnus Mass Simulator separates.[5]
Attempt Planned Result Turnaround Reason Decision point Weather go (%) Notes
1 17 Apr 2013, 5:00:00 pm scrubbed --- technical 17 Apr 2013, 4:44 pm(T-12 hold) 60%[11] Premature disconnect of upper stage umbilical cable during T-12 hold[12]
2 20 Apr 2013, 6:10:00 pm scrubbed 3 days, 1 hour, 10 minutes weather 20 Apr 2013, 4:30 pm 90% [13]
3 21 Apr 2013, 5:00:02 pm success 0 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes 80% First flight of Antares[14]

Gallery

  • The Cygnus Mass Simulator

  • Antares rocket vertical at launch pad on 19 April 2013

  • Launch of the Antares rocket on 21 April 2013

  • Antares rocket rises into the blue sky on 21 April 2013

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

  1. ↑ NASA/OSC Pre-launch press conference
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Antares_A-ONE&oldid=698597597#Payloads"