Antares A-ONE

Antares A-ONE
The Antares 110 lifts off at the start of the mission
NamesSimulated Cygnus Payload[1]
Mission typeFlight test
OperatorOrbital Sciences Corporation
COSPAR ID2013-016A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.39142Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration18 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftCygnus mass simulator
ManufacturerOrbital Sciences Corporation
Launch mass3,800 kg (8,400 lb)
Dimensions5.061 m × 2.896 m (16.60 ft × 9.50 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date21 April 2013, 21:00:00 (21 April 2013, 21:00:00) UTC (5:00 pm EDT)[2][3]
RocketAntares 110[4]
Launch siteMARS, Pad 0A
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date10 May 2013, 00:57 (10 May 2013, 00:57) UTC[5]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[6]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude223 km (139 mi)[5]
Apogee altitude237 km (147 mi)[5]
Inclination51.63°[5]

Orbital Sciences insignia

Antares A-ONE mission was the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation' Antares launch 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 from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.[6] The simulated payload simulates the mass of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft.[6] This dummy payload was sent into an orbit of 223 km × 237 km (139 mi × 147 mi) with an orbital inclination of 51.63°, the same launch profile it will use for Orbital's Cygnus cargo supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.

This launch along with several other activities leading up to it, are paid milestones under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.[7]

  1. ^ "Display: Simulated Cygnus Payload 2013-016D". NASA. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Antares A-ONE Mission Coverage". Spaceflight101. 21 April 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  3. ^ Clark, Stephen (20 April 2013). "Antares A-One Mission Status Center". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. ^ Bergin, Chris (22 February 2012). "Space industry giants Orbital upbeat ahead of Antares debut". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d McDowell, Jonathan C. (5 August 2024). "General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects". planet4589.org. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Orbital Sciences successfully launches first Antares rocket". Northrop Grumman. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Space Act Agreement Amendment Seven between NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation for COTS" (PDF). NASA. 30 March 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.