The Commercial Spaceflight Federation applauds the hard work of the teams at NASA, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Aerojet Rocketdyne and all of the many contractors involved on the success of their second COTS demonstration mission. On September 18, an Aerojet Rocketdyne dual AJ26 engine system successfully boosted Orbital’s Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus spacecraft. Today, Cygnus successfully berthed with the International Space Station and delivered approximately 1,300 lb. of cargo.
“With this launch, Orbital, Aerojet and their team have once again demonstrated the value of partnerships between the commercial spaceflight industry and NASA,” said CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “Congratulations to the NASA and industry team; we look forward to many more successful flights.”
The Orb-D1 mission was the final development milestone under the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement. With the successful completion of the COTS mission, Orbital is slated to deliver up to 20,000 kg of supplies over eight missions to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA through 2016.
About the COTS Program
The Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) is a NASA program created in 2006 to work with the private sector to develop safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to the International Space Station. The program is fixed-price, milestone-based, and requires cost-sharing with the private sector to protect taxpayer dollars and incentivize performance.
About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The CSF’s member companies – which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers and service providers – are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Sirisha Bandla at sirisha@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.347.1096.
