Orbital Sciences Scores NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Award Worth $170M

NASA announced Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Virgina as the second Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) award winner and will sign a funded Space Act Agreement with them worth $170M.

Orbital says their first demonstration flight will be in the 4th quarter of 2010. According to their website, they are already at work on the new vehicle, the Taurus II, to launch pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the International Space Station.

In Phase 1 the two funded companies (Orbitaland SpaceX) will work to demostrate that they can safetly deliver cargo or crew to the Station. In Phase 2, NASA will competitively buy transportation services. The COTS program is intended to provide the United States alternatives to the Russian, European, and Japanese cargo transfer vehicles and, best case, an alternative to Russian crew transportation services after the Space Shuttle retires in 2010.

The Taurus II first stage will use LOX/Kerosene liquid fuel and Aerojet engines. The second stage will use an ATK-developed solid rocket.

Atop the Taurus II will sit an "advanced maneuvering spacecraft" named Cygnus and a derivative of the Italian developed Mini Pressurized Logistics Module or a derivative of the NASA Goddard developed Express Logistics Carrier to accommodate the cargo. Cygnus is reportedly being designed to lift 2,300 kg to the Space Station and be able to return 1,200 kg of cargo back to Earth.

According to the NASA Watch article, Orbital's proposal "mentions possible crewed missions but did not formally propose that option."

Orbital will be working on this project at its Chandler, Arizona and Dulles, Virginia facilities and plans to launch the Taurus II from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Southern Virginia.

NASA Spaceflight.com also includes a quote from one of the NASA managers that I liked:

'Our investment in the space transportation industry holds just as much promise for the future as government's investment in the railroads and airlines produced in the past,' said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the
Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at JSC.

Orbital beat a dozen competitors to win NASA COTS contract [NASASpaceflight.com]
Orbital Wins COTS Funding [NASAWatch]

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See Also:__

• SpaceX Passes NASA Review of Their Plans to Dock with Space Station
• NASA Terminates COTS Funds for Rocketplane Kistler
• NASA Offers $175 Million For New Space Freight Partner

Image: Orbital.com