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Commercialization

ATK Wants To Sell NASA a Recycled Ares 1

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
February 8, 2011
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ATK and Astrium Unveil the Liberty(TM) Launch Vehicle Initiative for NASA’s CCDev-2 Competition

“ATK and Astrium (an EADS Company) are working together in response to NASA’s Commercial Crew Development-2 (CCDev-2) procurement. The team is offering NASA launch services with the Liberty(TM) rocket. This new launch vehicle combines two of the world’s most reliable propulsion systems, with a collective heritage of nearly 150 successful flights. ATK would supply the human-rated first stage, which it developed under NASA’s Space Exploration Program. The five-segment solid rocket first stage is derived from the Space Shuttle’s four-segment solid rocket boosters (SRBs) which are built by ATK and have flown 107 successful missions since 1988 (encompassing 214 SRBs). Astrium, the developer and manufacturer of the Ariane 5 launcher, working with Snecma (Safran Group), Europe’s leading propulsion company, is providing Liberty’s second stage based on the liquid-fueled cryogenic core of the Ariane 5 vehicle powered by the Vulcain2.”
Keith’s note: So, let me get this straight: NASA pours billions into ATK to develop the 5-segment SRB first stage of Ares 1. It has never been flown. Massive cost overruns, technical problems, and multi-year schedule delays force its cancellation. Now, ATK takes that multi-billion dollar taxpayer investment, paints a fancy logo on it, and tries to sell it back to the taxpayers as a commercial product?
Oh yes, this rocket will deliver “44,500 pounds to the International Space Station orbit”. Hmm, that’s less than NASA’s advertised Ares 1 capability i.e. “25-ton payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International Space Station”.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.