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 to the international space station through 2016 to fulfill its commitments to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, although Orbital Sciences 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, CEO David Thompson told analysts on a conference call.
He also said the company intends to return its Antares rocket to service with new engines in 2016, but he didn’t indicate which engines would replace the 1970s-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 5,000 pounds of supplies headed for the orbiting laboratory — Thompson revealed the Wallops Island, Va., launch pad 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.
