Mark your calendar and cross your fingers an upgraded Antares rocket is expected to launch again from Virginia's spaceport this time next year. <\/p>\n
If and when that happens, it will mark the final recovery of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) from the worst disaster in its short history. The state-owned spaceport is located at NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore. <\/p>\n
But many things must still go right in order for that to happen, said Barron \"Barry\" Beneski at Orbital ATK, formerly known as Orbital Sciences Corp. The Dulles-based company developed both the Antares and the Cygnus cargo craft to resupply the International Space Station under a $1.9 billion commercial contract with NASA. <\/p>\n
The MARS launch pad has yet to be repaired after last October's catastrophic explosion of an Antares just after lift-off. The $20 million in federal tax dollars committed to pay for those repairs has yet to be released. And the Antares' new engines must still pass muster. <\/p>\n
\"So we have sort of parallel paths here of things that are underway that will lead us to be able to resume launches in March (2016),\" Beneski said in a phone interview. The company has made two successful cargo runs already to the ISS. <\/p>\n
And the timeline is firming up, Beneski said, starting in April, when Russian manufacturer Energomash tests a set of RD-181 rocket engines. Those engines are to replace the Aerojet AJ26 engines suspected in October's catastrophic failure. Beneski said the investigation into that accident should wrap up in a matter of weeks. <\/p>\n
If the new engines pass, they'll be on their way to Wallops in June. A second set would follow this fall. <\/p>\n
Around the same time, in October or November, Beneski said, the MARS pad should be fully repaired and ready for testing and recertification. <\/p>\n
Then in January, Orbital ATK will bring a revamped Antares back to Wallops for an all-important test-fire of the new engines. <\/p>\n
\"And assuming that goes well, which it should,\" Beneski said, \"we should be set to launch.\" <\/p>\n
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Space station launches set to resume from Virginia next March<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mark your calendar and cross your fingers an upgraded Antares rocket is expected to launch again from Virginia's spaceport this time next year. Continue reading