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Further Reading

Taurus II

Taurus II is a two-stage launch vehicle designed to provide responsive, low-cost, and reliable access to space for medium-class payloads weighing up to 5750 kg. Currently under development to demonstrate commercial re-supply of the International Space Station under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) contract, the Taurus II launch system utilizes identical management approaches, engineering standards, production and test processes common to Orbital's family of highly successful small-class Pegasus®, Taurus®, and Minotaur launch vehicles. These proven launch technologies, along with hardware from one of the world's leading launch vehicle integrators, combine to provide cost-effective access to a variety of orbits for civil, commercial and military Delta II-class payloads.

The Taurus II launch vehicle will have a payload capacity of 4,750 to 6,250 Kg to low-Earth orbits (depending on altitude and inclination). The Cygnus spacecraft will be capable of delivering up to 2,300 Kg of pressurized or unpressurized cargo to the ISS, and will be capable of returning up to 1,200 Kg of cargo from ISS to Earth.

By serving as an anchor mission for Orbital's Taurus II rocket, the COTS project will not only benefit NASA's ISS operations with reliable commercial cargo service once the system is fully operational, but will also aid NASA's Earth and space science and planetary exploration programs with lower-cost launches of medium-class satellites," said Dr. Antonio L. Elias, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Orbital's Advanced Programs Group, which leads a company-wide team developing the Taurus II launch vehicle and the Cygnus spacecraft.

System Features Include:

• Large 3.9 meter fairing, capable of accommodating a variety of single and multiple payloads
• Substantial payload performance into a variety low inclination low-Earth orbits (LEO), sun-synchronous, geo-transfer or interplanetary orbits
• Streamlined vehicle/payload integration and testing via simplified avionics interfaces and offline payload encapsulation
• Designed for easy transportability and rapid set-up from a variety of launch sites
• Compatible with the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Wallops Flight Facility (WFF).)
• Initial launch capability for first mission in 2010
• Proven technology to meet mission requirements