Taurus II Development Continuing at a Rapid Pace

October 2009

The pace of activities in the development of Taurus II has quickened as the year has progressed and the system has moved from the design and review stage to initial production. In our first update, we highlighted the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wallops Island, Virginia launch facility. Since then Orbital employees have literally circled the globe interacting with suppliers, developing qualification and flight hardware and overseeing construction projects.  A variety of activities have occurred including:

• Wind tunnel testing completed
• Manufacturing of the stage one core started
• Completion of the stage two static fire motor
• Completion of the structures tooling for the launch vehicle's upper stack
• Finalization of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) design where the launch vehicle will be assembled at Wallops Island
• Construction of the engine test stand flame duct at the Stennis Space Center where the stage one engines will be tested
• Commencement of manufacturing of the Transporter/Erector/Launcher (TEL) that will transport the launch vehicle from the HIF and erect it on the launch pad
• Completion of the launch pad preliminary design, with construction to start in November
• Driving of the initial test pilings for the HIF

In addition to the accomplishments above, a number of activities are scheduled through the end of the year. These include:

• Start of construction of the Wallops Island HIF
• Stage one core flight systems Critical Design Review
• Taurus II ground systems Critical Design Review
• Commencement of launch pad construction
• COTS system Critical Design Review
• Stage two motor "hot fire" test
• Completion of stage one engine test stand construction at the Stennis Space Center
• Delivery of the first cryogenic tank to Wallops Island

• Horizontal Integratiion Facility Construction Begun
• Launch Pad Design Finalized
• Transporter/Erector/Launcher Manufacturing Started
• Stage One Engine Test Stand Flame Duct Completed
• Design for Horizontal Integration Facility Completed
• Upper Stack Structures Tooling Completed
• Stage 2 Static Fire Motor Delivered to Test Site
• Stage One Core Manufacturing Started
• Wind Tunnel Testing Completed
• Launch Site Groundbreaking
• Launch Site CDR
• Vehicle Design CDR
• First Block Vehicle Build
  (Hardware Procurement/Qualification)
• Launch Site PDR
• CRS Contract Award
• Launch Site Selection
• COTS Contract Award
• Vehicle Development PDR

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Taurus II Brochure	Taurus II Fact Sheet
Cygnus Fact Sheet

Taurus II Wallops Island Launch Site Ground Breaking

July 1, 2009

Time to break out the silver plated shovels!  Late last month Orbital and NASA, along with local and regional dignitaries, officially broke ground for the Taurus II launch facilities at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital Chairman and CEO Dave Thompson, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and NASA Acting Administrator Christopher Scolese all gave short speeches, and then used the fancy shovels for a ceremonial shoveling of Wallops Island dirt.

The Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia will be the primary launch site for our Taurus II launch vehicle for missions to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Ongoing work includes the construction of a new Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) where the launch vehicle will be assembled; a liquid fueling facility that will provide the necessary fuel for the launch vehicle; and an all-new Launch Pad dedicated to Taurus II built on the site of the old Conestoga launch pad, designated Pad LA-0A. Renovations are also being made to existing cargo processing and payload fueling facilities that will service the Cygnus spacecraft and cargo modules that will hold the supplies bound for the Space Station.

We expect construction on the new and existing facilities at Wallops to be completed by the end of 2010. The first demonstration flight of the Taurus II launch vehicle from Wallops under the COTS program is expected to occur in early 2011, followed by operational flights under the CRS contract.  Check out the missions page of this web site for a more detailed Taurus II launch manifest.