Antares (rocket)

Antares
	Launch of an Antares 230
Function	Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences (2013–2015); Orbital ATK (2015–2018); Northrop Grumman (2018–present);
Country of origin	United States
Project cost	US$472 million until 2012
Cost per launch	US$80−85 million
Size
Height	110/120: 40.5 m (133 ft); 130: 41.9 m (137 ft); 230/230+: 42.5 m (139 ft);
Diameter	3.9 m (13 ft)
Mass	110/120/130: 282,000–296,000 kg (622,000–653,000 lb); 230/230+: 298,000 kg (657,000 lb);
Stages	2 to 3
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	8,000 kg (18,000 lb)
Associated rockets
Comparable	Delta II, Atlas III
Launch history
Status	110: retired; 120: retired; 130: retired; 230: retired; 230+: retired; 300: planned;
Launch sites	MARS, LP-0A
Total launches	18 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 1, 230: 5, 230+: 8)
Success(es)	17 (110: 2, 120: 2, 130: 0, 230: 5, 230+: 8)
Failure(s)	1 (130: 1)
First flight	110: April 21, 2013; 120: January 9, 2014; 130: October 28, 2014; 230: October 17, 2016; 230+: November 2, 2019; 300: June 2025 (planned);
Last flight	110: September 18, 2013; 120: July 13, 2014; 130: October 28, 2014; 230: April 17, 2019; 230+: August 2, 2023;
Type of passengers/cargo	Cygnus
First stage (Antares 100)
Empty mass	18,700 kg (41,200 lb)
Gross mass	260,700 kg (574,700 lb)
Powered by	2 × NK-33 (AJ26-62)
Maximum thrust	3,265 kN (734,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	SL: 297 s (2.91 km/s); vac: 331 s (3.25 km/s)
Burn time	235 seconds
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX
First stage (Antares 200)
Empty mass	20,600 kg (45,400 lb)
Gross mass	262,600 kg (578,900 lb)
Powered by	2 × RD-181
Maximum thrust	3,844 kN (864,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	SL: 311.9 s (3.06 km/s); vac: 339.2 s (3.33 km/s)
Burn time	215 seconds
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX
First stage (Antares 300)
Powered by	7 × Miranda
Propellant	RP-1 / LOX
Second stage – Castor 30A/B/XL
Gross mass	A: 14,035 kg (30,942 lb); B: 13,970 kg (30,800 lb); XL: 26,300 kg (58,000 lb);
Propellant mass	A: 12,815 kg (28,252 lb); B: 12,887 kg (28,411 lb); XL: 24,200 kg (53,400 lb);
Maximum thrust	A: 259 kN (58,200 lbf); B: 293.4 kN (65,960 lbf); XL: 474 kN (107,000 lbf);
Burn time	A: 136 seconds; B: 127 seconds; XL: 156 seconds;
Propellant	TP-H8299 / Al / AP
	[edit on Wikidata]

Antares (/ænˈtɑːriːz/), known during early development as Taurus II, is an American expendable medium-lift launch vehicle developed and built by Orbital Sciences Corporation (later Orbital ATK and Northrop Grumman) with financial support from NASA under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program awarded in February 2008, alongside the company's automated cargo spacecraft, Cygnus. Like other launch vehicles developed by Orbital, Antares leveraged lower-cost, off-the-shelf parts and designs.

The first stage is liquid fueled, burning RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Due to Orbital's limited experience with large liquid stages, the construction was subcontracted to the Ukrainian companies Pivdenne and Pivdenmash. Initially, the Antares 100 series used refurbished NK-33 engines, remnants of the Soviet N1 moon rocket. However, after a catastrophic explosion, the Antares 200 series transitioned to newly built Russian RD-191 engines. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Northrop Grumman announced plans for the Antares 300, featuring a new first stage developed in partnership with Firefly Aerospace. The new first stage, similar to Firefly's MLV launch vehicle, will incorporate composite structures and seven Miranda engines, increasing Antares's payload capacity.

The second stage is a Castor 30-series solid-fuel rocket, derived from the Castor 120 solid motor used in Orbital's Minotaur-C (the original Taurus I), and itself based on a Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. While an optional third stage is offered, it has never been used due to the Cygnus spacecraft's integrated service module.

Antares made its maiden flight on April 21, 2013, launching the Antares A-ONE mission from LP-0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) with a Cygnus mass simulator. Later that year, on September 18, the rocket successfully launched Orb-D1, the first Cygnus mission to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS). Following the successful completion of these two COTS demonstration missions, Antares and Cygnus have been awarded two Commercial Resupply Services contracts, encompassing a total of 25 missions to the ISS.

The COTS program also funded the development of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, aiming to stimulate the commercial space industry by creating two medium-lift launch vehicles. While SpaceX's Falcon 9 has achieved significant commercial success, Antares has not. To date, NASA remains Antares's sole customer, and Cygnus its only payload.

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