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104 articles
NASA quietly posts images of explosive Antares failure
Less than a week after publishing the results of an independent investigation into last year's Antares rocket failure, NASA has released new photos of the catastrophic crash just after liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia.
Two Antares failure probes produce different results
An Orbital ATK investigation into last year's Antares rocket crash in Virginia identified a decades-old manufacturing defect inside an AJ26 engine turbopump as the most likely cause of the failure, but a team of NASA engineers was not so sure in their report.
One year after Antares failure, Orbital ATK nears return to flight
A year after a launch mishap left Orbital ATK's Cygnus supply ship without a ride to the International Space Station, company officials say the cargo delivery system is on the verge of a comeback, thanks to deals with United Launch Alliance and a decision to redesign its Antares booster with new rocket engines.
Workers complete $15 million in repairs to Antares launch pad
Repair crews in Virginia have restored the Antares booster's launch pad -- damaged in an explosive rocket crash nearly one year ago -- to flight-ready status as the Orbital ATK launcher moves toward a return-to-flight in 2016.
New engines arrive at Antares rocket launch site
The first pair of new Russian main engines for Orbital ATK's modernized Antares rocket has arrived at the company's Virginia launch base as engineers prepare to return the commercial booster to flight after a catastrophic failure last year.
RD-181 engines prepared for shipment to U.S.
The first pair of RD-181 rocket engines set to launch on Orbital ATK's redesigned Antares rocket are in the final stages of acceptance testing in Russia ahead of their export to the United States in early July, officials said.
Orbital ATK targets resumption of Antares launches in March 2016
Space station resupply missions launched from Virginia are set to resume in March 2016, after Orbital ATK integrates newly-built rocket engines into the Ukrainian-made booster stage of the company's commercial Antares rocket and puts it through an on-pad test firing in January.
First stage propulsion system is early focus of Antares investigation
The first sign of failure during the doomed launch of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket from Virginia came from the rocket's first stage about 15 seconds after liftoff.
Initial damage assessment shows Antares pad intact
Initial inspections of the Antares rocket's launch pad in Virginia revealed the facility escape major damage after sustaining nearly a direct hit from the booster as it fell to the ground in flames seconds after liftoff.
VideoAn eyewitness account: Wallops Island is burning
First, you see the rocket sputter, then pause suspended in mid-air and crash back to Earth in a blinding ball of flame. If you still have your wits, you brace for the blast wave.