Orbital to continue cargo shipments to international space station

[Buster's Uncle]

Orbital to continue cargo shipments to international space station
Rocket and satellite specialist to temporarily pay for rockets provided by another company
The Wall Street Journal
By Andy Pasztor  Published: Nov 5, 2014 11:12 a.m. ET



Orbital Sciences will still send cargo to ISS astronauts



Orbital Sciences Corp. said it would temporarily pay for rockets provided by another company to launch cargo into orbit for NASA, in the wake of last month’s launch failure of its own Antares booster.

In unveiling its contingency plans Wednesday, the Dulles, Va.,-based company said it plans to pay for up to two such launches through 2016 to fulfill its commitments to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, though Orbital Sciences ORB, -1.89%  didn’t disclose which rockets would be used.

The plans call for Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft to be placed atop these rockets with more cargo than previously anticipated, Chief Executive David Thompson told analysts on a conference call.

He also said the company intends to return its Antares rocket to service with new engines sometime in 2016, but didn’t indicate which engines would replace the 1970’s-vintage, Russian-built AJ26 engines suspected of causing last month’s fiery explosion shortly after liftoff. Industry sources have said Orbital Sciences is leaning toward a newer Russian-designed engine as a replacement.

Indicating the extent of the problems created by last month’s launch failure--which destroyed the rocket and some 5,000 pounds of supplies headed for the orbiting laboratory—Thompson revealed the Wallops Island, Va., launchpad used by Antares won’t be ready to resume service until early or mid-2016. Initially, NASA and Orbital Sciences officials estimated repairs might be completed more quickly.

Thompson said Orbital Sciences would carry out its contingency plans with “no cost increase to NASA” and without a significant impact on the company’s finances. He said Orbital Sciences is “committed to do everything possible” to meet its cargo delivery targets under an ongoing $1.9-billion contract with NASA. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX as the company is called, has a separate cargo-delivery contract with NASA.


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/orbital-to-continue-cargo-shipments-to-international-space-station-2014-11-05?siteid=yhoof2