 The Antares 110 lifts off at the start of the mission | |
| Names | Simulated Cygnus Payload[1] |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Flight test |
| Operator | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| COSPAR ID | 2013-016A |
| SATCATno. | 39142 |
| Mission duration | 18 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Cygnus mass simulator |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Launch mass | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Dimensions | 5.061 m × 2.896 m (16.60 ft × 9.50 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 April 2013, 21:00:00 (2013-04-21UTC21Z) UTC (5:00 pm EDT)[2][3] |
| Rocket | Antares 110[4] |
| Launch site | MARS,Pad 0A |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 10 May 2013, 00:57 (2013-05-10UTC00:58Z) UTC[5] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[6] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 223 km (139 mi)[5] |
| Apogee altitude | 237 km (147 mi)[5] |
| Inclination | 51.63°[5] |
 Orbital Sciences insignia | |
Antares A-ONE mission was the maiden flight ofOrbital Sciences Corporation'Antareslaunch vehicle including the ascent to space and accurate delivery of a simulated payload, the Cygnus Mass Simulator (CMS), which was launched 21 April 2013.[6] It was launched fromPad 0A at theMid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS),Wallops Flight Facility,Virginia.[6] The simulated payload simulates the mass of theCygnus cargo spacecraft.[6] This dummy payload was sent into an orbit of 223 km × 237 km (139 mi × 147 mi) with anorbital inclination of 51.63°, the same launch profile it will use for Orbital's Cygnus cargo supply missions to theInternational Space Station (ISS) forNASA.
This launch along with several other activities leading up to it, are paid milestones under NASA'sCommercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.[7]
The primary payload was the Cygnus Mass Simulator. It had a height of 5.061 m (16.60 ft), a diameter of 2.896 m (9 ft 6.0 in) and a mass of 3,800 kg (8,400 lb).[8] It was equipped with 22accelerometers, 2microphones, 12digital thermometers, 24thermocouples and 12strain gages.[8]
FourSpaceflight Industries Inc.CubeSatnanosatellites were deployed from the dummy payload.[9]
The secondary payloads were fourCubeSats that were deployed from the CMS.[8] Three of them werePhoneSats, 1U CubeSats built by NASA'sAmes Research Center.[8] These were namedAlexander,Graham andBell, after theAlexander Graham Bell, inventor of thetelephone.[8] The purpose of these three satellites was to demonstrate the use ofsmartphones asavionics in CubeSats.[8] They each had a mass of 1,124 kg (2,478 lb) and were powered bylithium batteries.[8] The fourth nanosat was a 3U CubeSat, calledDove-1, built by Cosmogia Inc. It carried a "technology developmentEarth imagery experiment" using theEarth's magnetic field forattitude control.[8][10]
Note: Times are local to the launch site (Eastern Daylight Time).
| 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−12:00) | 60[11] | Premature disconnect of upper stage umbilical cable during T−12:00 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, 5:00:00 pm | Success | 0 days 22 hours 50 minutes | 80 | First flight of Antares.[14] |
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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