Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (Orbital ATK) thread

[tater]

Liftoff, etc.

 

 

 

[tater]

 

[RCgothic]

Edit: wrong thread.

Edited July 15, 2020 by RCgothic

[RealKerbal3x]

@RCgothic Wrong thread? This seems more suited for the SpaceX thread.

[RCgothic]

4 minutes ago, RealKerbal3x said:

@RCgothic Wrong thread? This seems more suited for the SpaceX thread.

Yes, oops!

[tater]

 

[tater]

 

[RCgothic]

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/spacex-and-ula-win-2022-pentagon-rocket-launch-contracts.html

This could actually spell the end for OmegA. Northrop were heavily targeting DoD contacts and they were awarded diddly squat.

Bezos and Blue Origin can afford this setback. Can Northrop?

[DDE]

On 8/8/2020 at 1:07 AM, RCgothic said:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/spacex-and-ula-win-2022-pentagon-rocket-launch-contracts.html

This could actually spell the end for OmegA. Northrop were heavily targeting DoD contacts and they were awarded diddly squat.

Bezos and Blue Origin can afford this setback. Can Northrop?

Did OmegA ever even have a chance?

[tater]

https://twitter.com/NASA_Wallops/status/1292868312670457857?s=20

 

[SOXBLOX]

This looks interesting:

http://thedrive.com/the-war-zone/35684/is-the-stargazer-air-launch-mothership-about-to-test-a-secretive-air-force-payload

[tater]

GEM 63XL SRM for Vulcan:

 

[DDE]

5 hours ago, SOXBLOX said:

This looks interesting:

http://thedrive.com/the-war-zone/35684/is-the-stargazer-air-launch-mothership-about-to-test-a-secretive-air-force-payload

You'd think they'd have enough B-52s for such ops.

[SOXBLOX]

10 hours ago, DDE said:

You'd think they'd have enough B-52s for such ops.

Ehh. Those cost a lot to sortie; a non-warplane would be cheaper.

15 hours ago, tater said:

GEM 63XL SRM for Vulcan:

 

I believe I recognize that facility! Drove by it on vacation, near Promontory, Utah. Old Orbital ATK plant/ complex/whatever.

[tater]

Of course they still get $971,000,000 for each pair of SLS boosters, so they've got that going for them, which is nice.

(why launch a multi-stage solid for a competitive price of ~100M$ all-in, when you can launch a simpler solid for 485.5 M$, right?)

[RCgothic]

 

[Ultimate Steve]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OmegA

"OmegA was"

RIP

[wumpus]

6 hours ago, Ultimate Steve said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OmegA

"OmegA was"

RIP

Somebody seriously thought that a rocket with 2 stages of solid rocket motors encased in carbon composite topped with *two* RL-10s would be a good idea?  Granted, the Starliner uses two RL-10s, but only to increase the safety margin for the crew.  Atlas V should be able to launch similar payloads with one RL-10 (confusingly, Atlas's Centaur stage seems to have nothing to do with Orbital systems).

Some of my favorite rockets in KSP look very similar to this, especially early in the game (although I haven't played much since the addition of more SRBs).  But KSP has dirt cheap SRBs and the RL-10 clone is similarly inexpensive.  In real life, the RL-10s probably cost more than an entire Falcon 9.  I have to wonder if any of the Northrup contingent was muttering the fatal words after the announcement "it works in KSP".

[DDE]

51 minutes ago, wumpus said:

But KSP has dirt cheap SRBs

Wasn't a showstopper for the Shuttle design process. USAF/USSF finds a way.

[wumpus]

2 hours ago, DDE said:

Wasn't a showstopper for the Shuttle design process. USAF/USSF finds a way.

And the SLS presumably kept the factories going.  But they already have ULA for traditional DoD pork, and leaving SpaceX out would make it much harder to explain why they were spending so much money on launches.  My guess is that NG knew they couldn't compete with SpaceX on price/reliability so tried to compete with ULA for the "military industrial complex" position.

But SRBs+LV909 (Jeb's RL-10 clone) is a critical part of my KSP playstyle.  I have to wonder if it is just coincidence.  If they bring this back with detachable propellant tanks above the payload (functional bamboo staging), you'll know they are copying KSP designs.

[DDE]

15 hours ago, wumpus said:

If they bring this back with detachable propellant tanks above the payload (functional bamboo staging), you'll know they are copying KSP designs.

Tractor upper stage, you say? That's already not unheard of.

Spoiler

 

 

 

[tater]

Busy week. 2x SpaceX, 1 ULA, 1 NG in a handful of days.

[YNM]

On 8/14/2020 at 11:48 AM, tater said:

GEM 63XL SRM for Vulcan:

What's with the high-pitched rumble with the rear cam (one over the nozzle) XD Or maybe all SRBs sound like that...

[tater]

 

[tater]

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by tater