Antares A-ONE
The Antares 110 lifts off at the start of the mission | |
| Names | Simulated Cygnus Payload |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Flight test |
| Operator | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| COSPAR ID | 2013-016A |
| SATCAT no. | 39142 |
| Mission duration | 18 days, 3 hours, 57 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Cygnus mass simulator |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Launch mass | 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) |
| Dimensions | 5.061 m × 2.896 m (16.60 ft × 9.50 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 April 2013, 21:00:00 UTC (5:00 pm EDT) |
| Rocket | Antares 110 |
| Launch site | MARS, Pad 0A |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 10 May 2013, 00:57 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 223 km (139 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 237 km (147 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.63° |
Orbital Sciences insignia | |
Antares A-ONE mission was the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation' Antares launch vehicle including the ascent to space and accurate delivery of a simulated payload, the Cygnus Mass Simulator (CMS), which was launched 21 April 2013. It was launched from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. The simulated payload simulates the mass of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. This dummy payload was sent into an orbit of 223 km × 237 km (139 mi × 147 mi) with an orbital inclination of 51.63°, the same launch profile it will use for Orbital's Cygnus cargo supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.
This launch along with several other activities leading up to it, are paid milestones under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program.