Orbital Sciences Corporation will break ground on a new launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at a ceremony on October 6, according to published reports.
The new launch facility on Wallops Island in Virginia will support Orbital’s new Taurus II launch vehicle, which the company is developing under NASA’s COTS program. The rocket is designed to carry cargo and possibly crews to the International Space Station.
The space agency is funding two COTS programs. A California-based company, SpaceX, is building the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. SpaceX will launch the rocket from a new complex on Cape Canaveral.
Spaceport plan ‘once in a lifetime’ for county
Carol Vaughn
The Daily Times
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for the county,” said Accomack Economic Development Director Larry Forbes of the Orbital project, adding that county officials will do everything they can to maximize the economic opportunity it brings.
“Who knows where all this is going to go?” Forbes said, citing a June 6 report in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report that suggests NASA may be considering accelerating the crew transport portion of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.
After months of weighing competing bids, Orbital Science Corporation has decided to launch its new Taurus II rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia, instead of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Virginia Gov. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine made the announcement on Monday, ending months of uncertainty. The rocket will be launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
Orbital Sciences, based in Reston, Virginia, is developing the Taurus II rocket to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under NASA’s COTS program. It will serve as an alternative to the space shuttle, which is due to be retired in 2010.
NASA’s decision to award the COTS contract to Orbital set off a competition between the two American states, which are promoting rival launch facilities. The decision is a setback for Florida, which is hoping to attract commercial companies in order to offset job losses resulting from the space shuttle’s retirement.
Deal for resupply rockets seen as chance for Wallops Island site to take off
Virginia Pilot
Wallops Spaceport wins $45M project
The Daily Times
Orbital Sciences chooses VA over FLA
Orlando Sentinel
The Spaceports blog reports that Orbital Sciences Corporation is expected to make a decision this week on whether to fly its COTS rocket out of Virginia or Florida.
Both states have been heavily lobbying the Reston, Virginia-based company, which is developing commercial transportation to the International Space Station under the NASA program. The company will choose between the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island or Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The Virginia General Assembly has approved the The 21st Century Capital Improvement Program, a bond program which among other things will provide funding for improvements to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. The commonwealth is trying to attract commercial space companies to the facility.
I’ve looked at the actual bill, but I wasn’t able to figure out how much money would be devoted to the project. I may have missed it, or this could be something that will be determined later. The plan - which enjoys bipartisan support - needs approval from the Virginia Senate before it can be sent to Gov. Tim Kaine for signature.
NASA’s decision to award $170 million in COTS funding to Orbital Sciences Corporation could prove to be a big boost to Virginia’s efforts to establish a commercial spaceport on Wallops Island.
The Dulles, Virginia-based company is leaning toward working with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and the state’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to demonstrate its new Taurus II rocket by 2010. If the program is successful, it could make Virginia’s Eastern Shore a major commercial space center.
“This is a real opportunity to see that happen. It’s significant,” said Billie Reed, executive director of the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority.
The Virginian-Pilot has more on the Virginia angle. Meanwhile, the Orlando Sentinel reports that although Orbital Sciences is leaning toward launching out of its home state, it has not closed the door on flights from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. KSC officials recently announced they were open to allowing private companies to build launch sites at the facility.
