Fourth Launch Attempt for Cygnus Successful
ULA Successfully Launches OA-4 Cygnus to International Space Station
“A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the OA-4 Cygnus resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 Dec. 6 at 4:44 p.m. EST. The mission, flown for Orbital ATK under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, marks the first time the Cygnus has flown on an Atlas V rocket. This was ULA’s 12th launch in 2015. At just over 8 tons, Cygnus is the heaviest payload to launch atop an Atlas V rocket.”
Cygnus Launch Seen From Orbit, NASA
@StationCDRKelly Day 254. We got our candle lit. #HappyHanukkah and #GoodNight from @Space_Station!
Good flight. Atlas 5 is a reliable booster.
Agreed. But, Orbital ATK is still going ahead with its Antares launch vehicle, but with a different Russian engine for the first stage.
Disappointed that they’re continuing to use Russian tech (albeit not with engines that are 30+ y/o); but I still wish them all the best.
Since Orbital ATK doesn’t do national security launches, Russian engines still make a lot of sense. They are high performance, affordable and reliable (at least the recent ones). As they dropped the plan for a solid 1st stage, it would take a huge investment of time and capital to develop their own liquid engines, and AR’s engines are too expensive.
I’m encouraged that they cut Aerojet out of their supply chain. With the integration ATK, more of their solution is developed in house. Orbital waited long enough for Aerojet to develop an in house replacement for the NK-33 / AJ-26.
I wonder how much they lost by sub-contracting this launch.
Many times the smart people here have pointed out how difficult it is to mix and match rocket parts- this booster to that upper stage, for instance. In this case the Orbital package originally designed for the home-grown rocket was mated to Atlas. Maybe they used duct tape?
Cygnus is based on Orbital’s GEOStar-2 bus, which is compatible with most commercial launch vehicles, so they can switch boosters fairly easily.
OA make money from this flight since they are doing at least one fewer flights with the extra payload capacity of the next two Atlas V.
The PCM of the Cygnus will fitted inside any fairings with internal diameter of 4 meters.
No duct tape required. This is not the first time an Atlas V has launched a payload built by Orbital ATK. Orbital was prime contractor for Landsat 8 which launched three years ago, also on an Atlas V 401. So Orbital is no newbie when it comes to Atlas V payload interfaces. Orbital is both a launch company and a satellite maker. ULA is strictly a launch company, but both its parents, Boeing and LockMart, are major satellite builders. The fact is that every launch company in the business has carried payloads built by competitor companies or companies to which said competitors are related. Orbital ATK has launched payloads on all of their own launchers as well as on Ariane 5, Atlas V and Falcon 9. Everything in the aerospace bizz is as Ed Yourdon used to say “deeply intertwingled.”
“I wonder how much they lost by sub-contracting this launch.”
Refreshing concept that the contractor is catching the cost of fixing the issues that came up, rather than passing it on cost-plus to the taxpayer.
overpriced, russian-engined, and non-reusable, but the Atlas V is a stupendous vehicle.
Watch Atlas V rocket launch the OA-4 Cygnus resupply spacecraft to the ISS. Launch coverage was great 2 things that bother me just when Cygnus separate from centaur second stage cutoff video animation show hand clapping in ULA launch control center instead 10 second later show Cygnus separate but,did not see actual separation. Second thing Youtube video Orbital mission control show Orbital flight controllers+ computer consul say its Cygnus Solar array is deployed verbal words only total 15 minutes time. I did find on Youtube Atlas V OA-4 Mission Profile solve 1 less thing and let it go of Orbital Cygnus thing forget about it it happens sometimes. Keith Cowing apologize to personally if offended you somehow. I very sorry making negative comments on NASAWatch.