ATK and Astrium to Team on New Rocket
ATK and Europe’s Astrium have announced that they will team to build a new commercial rocket to compete for the commercial crew launch business. Called “Liberty,” the rocket will build on the work ATK has been doing for NASA’s Ares I.
Ares I is part of NASA’s Constellation program that is on its way to being cancelled as soon as Congress passes an appropriations bill that lifts an existing congressional prohibition on terminating the program or beginning a new one. Liberty will use the solid rocket motors ATK was developing for Ares I paired with the first stage of Europe’s Ariane rocket, which is built by Astrium. The rocket would be able to lift 44,500 pounds to low Earth orbit with a first launch at the end of 2013, a second test flight in 2015, and operational status is 2015, according to the press release.
User Comments
SpacePolicyOnline.com has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate. We do not post comments that include links to other websites since we have no control over that content nor can we verify the security of such links.