Updated Taurus II and COTS/CRS Development & Flight Milestones

July 2010

Orbital recently updated its development schedule for Taurus II and Cygnus programs, with several notable changes. The company has maintained its schedule to launch the first Taurus II rocket in late June 2011, however the mission will likely be a new risk-reduction test flight, not the first COTS demonstration mission. This new flight on the manifest is made possible by NASA's budget request to add $312 million in additional funding to the COTS program, which is now making its way through Congress. For the risk reduction test flight, Taurus II will not carry a Cygnus spacecraft, but will be launched to verify the design and flight performance characteristics of Orbital's new medium class launcher.

As a result of inserting a new flight into the schedule, the original COTS demonstration mission will now be carried out later 2011. In this demonstration mission, a fully functional Cygnus spacecraft will be launched by Taurus II and will rendezvous and berth with the International Space Station, performing the identical operations as a CRS mission, without carrying cargo.

Finally, the updated schedule moves the first operational CRS mission to the beginning of 2012, as reflected in the chart below.

AJ26 Engine Installed for Chilldown Testing

July 2010

The AJ26 engine delivered on July 15th was installed on the test stand at the NASA Stennis E-1 test facility which has been modified for AJ26 testing. In addition to upgrades to the stand to accommodate the AJ26 engine itself, work included construction of a 27-foot-deep flame deflector trench. Now that installation is complete, the engine will begin "chilldown" testing (see below for a detailed summary of the chilldown test regimen). Once that testing is done, this engine will be removed and replaced with the first actual flight engine which will undergo "hotfire" testing.

AJ26 Cold-Flow Test Engine Arrives at Stennis

July  2010

Orbital’s Taurus II Propulsion Engine Test Program continues with the delivery by Aerojet of a AJ26 cold-flow test engine to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on July 15, 2010. For all the details you could ever want to know about cold flow rocket engine testing, the following description comes courtesy of the liquid engine experts at our Southern California Engineering Center:

The AJ26 cold-flow test engine will validate requirements for liquid oxygen (LO2) bleed-in, chill-down and propellant off loading of the Taurus II Main Engine Assembly (MEA).  Main objectives for this test series are to finalize chill-down procedures on the Stennis E-1 test stand for Taurus II launch operations (flight configuration) and demonstrate chill-down test requirements prior to each engine hot fire verification test (ground test configuration). The chill-down test series will validate the time-based sequence for chilling down the MEA to the required LO2 temperatures and record LO2 consumption during engine high flow chill-down.

Other objectives for this test series are to quantify flight pressure transducer response in an extreme LO2 cold environment, to validate feed line interface thermal shrinkage, to obtain LO2 pyro-valve initiator thermal environments and to obtain feed line bellows icing data.

The RP-1 engine bleed-in process will also be demonstrated by measuring volume of trapped gas in the Thrust Control Valve high point bleed at the end of a set duration with nominal MEA inlet pressure.

Orbital worked with NASA Stennis and Aerojet to recently complete facility upgrades to accommodate AJ26 testing. In addition to AJ26 certification testing, each AJ26 engine to be used in the Taurus II program will come through the Stennis facility for pre-launch acceptance testing prior to being integrated with the rocket.  Initial testing with this cold-flow test engine is the next step towards engine performance characterization and certification, as well as efficient test process development. 

Following successful cold-flow testing and test stand validation, the first flight engines will be delivered to Stennis and be subjected to “Hot fire” testing prior to their shipment to the launch site.

Upper Stage Completes Structural Testing While Wallops Launch Facilities Take Shape

June 2010

In mid-June, the first flight structures that will fly on the COTS demonstration mission next year underwent structural testing at Orbital’s Chandler, Arizona facility. The avionics cylinder and payload cone (upper left) are part of the upper stack assembly of the 3.9 meter diameter launch vehicle.

Across the country at Wallops Island, Virginia, the water tower for the flame suppression system for the Taurus II launch pad was topped off last week (top right). Rising 250 feet above the ground, the tower features a 200,000 gallon tank. Far below the welders on the tower, workers continue to bend rebar and pour concrete. The ramp leading to the launch stand that the Taurus II transporter will travel to deliver the rocket to the pad is rising from the roadway (middle), while concrete for the flame trench, flame deluge water pond and pads for the various fuel tanks has been poured. In all, over 2,500 cubic yards of concrete have been poured to date on the launch pad alone. When complete, the pad will use at total of 6,600 cubic yards, or approximately 13,200 tons of concrete. Meanwhile, a little over a mile from the pad, the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) where the rocket will be assembled and mated with the payload is taking shape as well (bottom). The foundation and floors have been poured and walls are going up.

Taurus II Engine Test Stand Gets Real Cool (-317 F)

May 2010

NASA Stennis Space Center recently conducted the first Sub-Cooled Liquid Oxygen Cold Flow Activation Test on the modified E-1 Test Complex in support of Orbital’s Taurus II Propulsion Engine Test Program. The cloud of sub-cooled (-317F) liquid oxygen seen in the front of the engine test stand simulates the propellant flow rates that are necessary to properly supply the AJ26 engine during acceptance testing which is scheduled to begin June 2010.

Updated Taurus II and COTS/CRS Development & Flight Milestones

April 2010

Orbital recently updated its Taurus II and Cygnus development and flight milestones leading to the first launch, which will be the COTS demonstration mission. The revised time line is posted below. Note that the time line is intended to offer general insight into the programs' major milestones and is subject to change.

Stage one Core Testing Continues as Launch Site Construction Progresses

April 2010

In the Ukraine, stage one manufacturing and testing is progressing. Testing is underway (top image) to verify the loads the booster will see during both launch site transportation and erection of the booster onto the launch mount.

Meanwhile at the Wallops Island, Virginia launch site, crews are busy with the construction of the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) where the stages will integrated with the payload. The massive concrete footers (middle image) are for the columns that will bear the weight of the overhead crane.

Crews also continue make progress on construction of the launch pad (bottom). Pilings and scaffolding for the ramp leading up to the pad can be seen on the left hand side of the photo, while workers prepare for assembly of the water tower (tubular legs can be seen at the bottom center with sections of the tank at the far right). Toward the rear of the right side of the image, workers continue to drive pilings for the pad itself (framed by orange construction fencing).

Orbital Sr. VP Frank Culbertson's Testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Science and Space

March 18, 2010

Good afternoon Chairman Nelson and Ranking Member Vitter, and members of the subcommittee.  I appreciate this opportunity to participate in this hearing regarding the potential of commercial crew delivery capabilities to low Earth orbit to enhance our nation’s progress in space exploration and development. 

I am honored to sit on this distinguished panel with industry colleagues Michael Gass and Gwynne Shotwell, and former NASA colleagues George Nield, now with the FAA, and Malcolm Peterson, formerly NASA’s comptroller.  Needless to say, it is also an honor to sit alongside two fellow astronauts whom I hold in the highest regard: Lt. General Thomas Stafford, who commanded the vital Apollo 10 lunar landing dress rehearsal mission and 35 years ago blazed a trail for U.S.-Russian cooperation in space while commanding the American side of the Apollo-Soyuz mission, and Bryan O’Connor, a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions and since 2002 the NASA leader and agency conscience on all matters regarding mission safety. 

For those of us who have had the great privilege to fly into space wearing the U.S. flag on our space suit—including the chairman of this subcommittee—I think it is fair to say that we are oriented toward achieving mission success through thoughtful risk taking.  Every time I have entered the Space Shuttle preparing for flight it was with the utmost confidence that the dedicated men and women of NASA and its contractor teams had done everything humanly possible to ensure my safety, and I’m certain my colleagues share this view about their experiences.

My job at Orbital Sciences Corporation includes oversight of all programs relating to Human Space Flight Systems, including not only our Cargo Resupply Services contract and the Cygnus Spacecraft, with a close connection to our Taurus II Launch Vehicle, but also the development of the Orion Launch Abort System under the auspices of the Constellation Program.  In addition to our 28 years of work in other areas of spaceflight, such as satellites and launch vehicles, our company is totally committed to supporting the future of human space flight in this country, as well as to exploring business approaches that will continue to make space more accessible and productive for all potential users.

The recent CCDev procurement competition, with 36 bidders listed, indicates that a number of U.S. companies, large and small, with outstanding track records of providing NASA with launch and space services have an interest in supporting commercially provided crew transportation services.

NASA’s proposed funding of about $6 billion over the next five years, together with the addition of appropriate private capital, should be sufficient to enable at least one and probably two U.S. commercially-provided crew systems to be demonstrated by the year 2015. 

I am confident that NASA can work with commercial providers to establish the proper safety and performance standards and oversight measures, the fundamentals of which are already well-established, that will enable industry to continue this successful era of U.S. human space flight for both U.S. government missions, and for other markets as they develop.  I would also expect that industry will make proper use of NASA’s manpower, expertise, and physical infrastructure to not only enhance safety and mission success, but also to help maintain and build our national competence in these areas.  Preeminence in exploratory and technical accomplishments remains as important as ever if we are to maintain our global leadership in space and continue to motivate future generations to do the hard work required to carry that banner.

Given your appropriate concern as to whether the commercial space industry is robust enough to develop reliable commercial launch services for crew to low Earth orbit within a reasonable time, at a fair cost, and, most importantly, with the requisite safety margins, let me clearly state again my response to the fundamental question of whether this model can work.  Orbital believes, as do I, that U.S. industry, given the right conditions, relationships, and investments, should be able to develop and demonstrate safe and reliable crew transportation systems for International Space Station support by 2015. 

Two of the important elements of ensuring safety in future transportation systems are close cooperation with NASA in developing a clear understanding and full  implementation of Human Rating Standards, especially at the system level, and a robust, reliable crew escape system.  Furthermore, once such a service is developed, tested, and certified, I would be happy to volunteer to strap in once again for a mission to the International Space Station.  If I am not willing to join the first mission of an Orbital developed spacecraft that I share responsibility for, then no one should be on that flight. 

I would also like to emphasize the importance of partnership to the success of a commercial crew transportation program.  For programs of this nature to work, especially in the NASA context, what’s required is a sound, trusting relationship between - and open, honest communication amongst - the appropriate government, industry, and international partners.  This is not a simple or easy task, as evidenced by the major space programs of the last 50 years, but it can be done and results in powerful accomplishments, such as Apollo, Shuttle, and the International Space Station.  

I do not envisage commercially provided crew services being conducted entirely by industry with a hands-off approach from NASA.  Nor can these commercial services be provided efficiently with traditional levels of government involvement and oversight at every turn.  Rather, to be successful, commercial suppliers must work closely with NASA and other potential customers at key milestones, tests, and reviews, providing insight to the program and demonstrating the willingness to listen to the technical judgment and leadership of NASA’s seasoned government and contractor human spaceflight team in a mutually productive relationship.  In addition, the FAA relationship must continue to grow and mature in order to establish a proper regulatory regime for commercial crew activities.  In this serious business there is no substitute for open lines of communication and the appropriate balance of insight and oversight that will lead to shared progress in 21st century space activities. 

Just as the Shuttle-Mir Program was an excellent developmental program for producing the collaboration and joint operations being used so successfully in the International Space Station Program, the Commercial Orbital Transportation program and related Commercial Resupply Services program or COTS/CRS, are providing superb learning experiences for not only developing new hardware that can fly to the Station safely, but also the operations concepts, relationships, and lines of communication that will enable all sorts of commercial endeavors in the future.

Though the willingness of industry to invest their own technical and financial resources in an incipient space project is not new, just as Orbital is now doing on the COTS/CRS programs, the levels of investment and financial risks are moving in new directions.  We see the opportunity for commercially provided crew transportation as an extension and strengthening of NASA’s current initiatives in commercial cargo delivery that will lead to exciting new partnerships with private industry.  The challenge is to develop and operate commercial low Earth orbit transportation systems that will service not only the government but also the other markets that can be imagined.

Since 2008 Orbital has been fully engaged as one of two companies contracted to provide the delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station.  Although this has been a huge development program for a company of our size, and unprecedented in scope for a purely commercial venture between a private company and NASA, I am very pleased to report that from Orbital’s perspective, and that of our shareholders, we have made steady and valuable progress.  We expect to have achieved all but 3 of 21 NASA program milestones by the end of this year, including successful completion of the critical Phase One and Phase Two Safety Review milestones.  We are on pace for first launch of the Taurus II rocket from Launch Pad O-A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia, next year.  This progress is possible because of the hard work and cooperation of many talented people at NASA Headquarters and several NASA centers, as well as the FAA, the support of Virginia and Maryland through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Authority, the efforts of our teammates, suppliers, and international providers, and the internal corporate support we receive to resource this program.

I mention all of those players to highlight the point that it truly takes a complex mix of organizations to execute space missions, especially with crew involved.  The mix and complexity have evolved over the last five decades, but this is still one of the most difficult and exciting endeavors known to humans, and I believe will be for some time to come.  The addition of local and state agencies and organizations in new roles and levels of investment will only serve to enhance commercial opportunities for success.  Executing parts of the development and operation in new and imaginative ways, while keeping the focus on safety and mission success, is our challenge for the near term, so that we not only expand our frontiers, but also give our children a space program that they can build upon – not be forced to rebuild.

For Orbital, we see the extension of the International Space Station as one of the cornerstones for a sound future in space, both scientifically and commercially, as we strive for more distant destinations and new technologies continue to be developed.  Looking forward, we believe the ability to provide cargo and crew services to the International Space Station is absolutely critical given the pending retirement of the Space Shuttle and the Administration’s wise decision to continue the International Space Station’s mission from 2015 to 2020 (or beyond!), thus enabling our scientists and researchers to pursue a more aggressive program of scientific research and utilization at this multi-national orbital facility.  I applaud its designation as a National Laboratory.  In addition, based on my personal experience on board the Station, I firmly believe that the ISS is an ideal platform for developing and simulating the operations, technologies, and techniques for executing more ambitious missions and lengthy missions to the Moon, Mars, and other destinations. 

I often tried to imagine what we would need if the station were en route to Mars or were somehow placed on the moon, besides what we already had or expected to have in the future - such as regenerative life support and radiation protection – and one of the major requirements was a reliable supply line – and/or a lot more room!  We at Orbital intend to be a key element in that supply line.  It is indeed important to recognize that this new approach to meeting our nation’s commitment to fully utilize the International Space Station, including the designated National Laboratory portion of the facility, is part of a broader policy to advance American progress in space on a number of productive fronts.

By now turning anew to America’s innovative private sector to provide crew transport to low Earth orbit, NASA will be able to invest new resources in transformative technologies that will speed our exploration path to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and other deep-space destinations.  New launch vehicle propulsion, in-space operations technologies and related robotic precursor missions are just a few of these.   This approach will also enable increased funding for NASA’s other critical missions in earth and space sciences, thus helping us better protect life on our home planet through accelerated and expanded climate change research missions, and extend through our robotic emissaries and telescopes the profound search for evidence of life in and outside the solar system.

In closing, please allow me to mention that as an astronaut I have had the privilege of working on missions that have helped to enhance our national security, extend international cooperation in space science, and increase the capabilities of the International Space Station facility, which has just been given a new lease on life.  Clearly, the NASA budget that was recently delivered by the Administration has generated a firestorm of discussion that is rarely seen on the topic of space exploration.  I sincerely feel the pain of some who are at the center of the storm, as well as those who feel threatened by parts of the budget, but I welcome the fact that finally we are having a broad and fervent debate on the subject.   I know that  a lot of energy is being expended at NASA to provide increased specificity of the goals, so I am hopeful that a more thoughtful and thorough examination of the available paths forward will result in an ambitious, sound set of programs that will fill us all with pride.  Just as you are doing by holding this hearing, promoting meaningful dialogue within the relatively small but passionate group of people who truly understand and care about what it actually takes to execute what so many take for granted - that is, reliable access to space - will help move us in the right direction.  I expect that U.S. industry will support challenging national space endeavors as it always has –with professionalism, excellence, and innovation.

Our nation continues to inspire people throughout the world for our commitment to freedom, creativity, exploration, and commerce.  Opening the right doors for industry to participate more broadly on a commercial basis will help maintain and enhance America’s leadership on the space frontier.  

Thank you again for inviting me to appear before this important hearing today.

Orbital and Aerojet Complete Taurus II Main Engine Lifetime Testing

March 2010

Orbital and Aerojet, along with Aerojet’s Russian partner, United Engine Corporation/SNTK, successfully completed a series of NK-33 rocket engine tests conducted in Samara, Russia in support of Taurus II development. Read the press release here.

Top images: engine start-up; middle image: full throttle run; bottom images: throttle tail off and engine shut down (Aerojet image)

AJ26 “Pathfinder” Engine Arrives at Stennis

February 2010

The Taurus II AJ26 rocket engine testing process officially kicked-off with the delivery of a “pathfinder” engine to NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on February 23, 2010. The first stage of each Taurus II launch vehicle will be powered by two Aerojet AJ26 liquid-fuel engines. The pathfinder engine will be used to verify test stand interfaces, engine handling processes, and test configurations prior to the commencement of a series of “hot fire” tests planned to begin in April at the Stennis E-1 test stand.

Orbital has been working diligently with NASA Stennis and Aerojet to develop and install facility upgrades to accommodate AJ26 testing. Each AJ26 engine to be used in the Taurus II program will come through the Stennis facility for pre-launch acceptance testing prior to being integrated with the rocket.

The AJ26 is a commercial derivative of the engine that was first developed for a Russian rocket that would have taken cosmonauts to the moon. As the world’s first oxidizer-rich, staged-combustion, oxygen kerosene engine, it achieves very high performance in a lightweight, compact package. This engine received extensive development, representing about a $1.3 billion investment over a 10-year period. More than 200 engines were built and 575 engine tests were conducted, accumulating over 100,000 seconds of test time. Aerojet has been developing design modifications to make the engine suitable for commercial launchers since 1993, and will obtain additional test data at the Stennis facility.

J.R. Thompson, Orbital President and COO (left), NASA Stennis Center Director Gene Goldman (center), and Aerojet President Scott Seymour in front of the pathfinder AJ26 engine (NASA photo)	AJ26 Pathfinder Engine Arrives at Stennis

Taurus II Program Summary Review Successfully Completed

February 2010

In late January 2010 we successfully conducted the Taurus II Program Summary Review (PSR), a comprehensive evaluation of the rocket program’s development status.  The PSR included verification of engineering milestones and schedule progress after nearly two and one half years since Orbital formally began work on the program in mid-2007.  Participants in the PSR included representatives from NASA, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the National Reconnaissance Office, Orbital’s Taurus II program management team, and an Independent Readiness Review Team comprised of experienced space industry professionals who have managed large-scale launch vehicle programs in the past.

The findings of the evaluation team confirmed that the Taurus II program has successfully completed the design, engineering and procurement phases of the development process and is prepared to embark on an aggressive manufacturing and testing campaign in 2010 and early 2011 during which major subsystem elements will be subjected to rigorous, operationally-representative conditions.  Major systems to be tested include the rocket’s first stage engines, the first stage booster core, the second stage structure, avionics, fairing, and all related ground infrastructure at the Wallops Launch Site and the Stennis Space Center main engine test facility.

In addition to reviewing overall program schedules and development status, Orbital engineers and representatives from the company’s major suppliers delved into the primary technical areas of the program, including systems engineering, the liquid fuel first stage and AJ-26 engines, the upper stack avionics and second stage motor, predicted launch vehicle and payload environments, new launch facility development activities at Wallops Flight Facility, and adherence to safety and mission assurance standards.

Among the items evaluated at the PSR were the stage one core structures shown here being manufactured at the Yuzhmash fabrication facility in the Ukraine.

Taurus II Hardware Production and Facilities Construction in Full Gear

February 2010

Taurus II components and facilities are coming together at suppliers and locations across the globe. In the Ukraine, elements of the stage one core test articles as well as the first flight unit are being assembled.  In Samara Russia, hot fire tests of stage one engines have been conducted, while construction of the U.S. stage one test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where Taurus II engines will be acceptance tested, is nearly complete. The first test of an AJ-26 engine at Stennis is anticipated in the 2^nd quarter of the year. Tooling for the 4 meter payload fairing has been delivered to Applied Aerospace Structures Corporation in Stockton, California and delivery of the first test items of other Applied Aerospace structures has occurred.

Construction is ramping up at the Wallops Island, Virginia launch site as well.  Initial infrastructure is being laid at the launch pad site, and 800 pilings are being driven for the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) where the launch vehicle will be integrated and mated with its payload before traveling to the launch pad.

Systems Testing for Taurus II Begins – First Test of 2nd Stage Motor Successful

December 2009

The Taurus II program officially moved from the engineering design and supplier procurement phase to the testing phase with the successful testing of the Taurus II second stage motor. The solid-fuel Castor 30 motor, which is supplied to Orbital by ATK Space Systems, was test fired at the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) in Tennessee. The test lasted a little over 150 seconds and the motor produced about 72,000 lbs. of maximum thrust.  The Castor 30 motor is designed to ignite at altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet, and to accurately test the motor performance, the static fire test was conducted at AEDC using a vacuum chamber specially designed to simulate upper atmospheric conditions.   In addition to the second stage testing, we will soon begin the testing process of the liquid fuel propulsion system for the rocket’s first stage at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

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

• Main Engine Lifetime Testing
• Second Stage Motor Ground Test
• 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

      Check Out

Taurus II Brochure	Taurus II Fact Sheet
Cygnus Fact Sheet	Taurus II Users Manual

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.