ATK Might Be The New Frontier For Space Exploration

Daily News Pulse:; ATK Might Be The New Frontier For Space Exploration
ATK and a partner on Tuesday unveiled the two-stage Liberty rocket that they want NASA to use as the next launch vehicle for the U.S. space program. And they are hoping the space agency will see fit to award it at least a portion of a $200 million pool of money set aside for promising projects.

Getting In The Air
The companies say they have planned an initial first flight by the end of 2013, a second test flight in 2014, and operational capability in 2015. The five-segment first stage has been successfully ground tested twice and got a flight test in October 2009 to demonstrate proof of concept. However, Astrium would have to build and ship an upper stage in the next two years, and that upper stage would have to be successfully integrated with the first stage — an interesting challenge, especially given there’s no established track record of the two companies working together.

Great Experience
“Together we combine unique flight-proven systems and commercial experience that allows us to offer the market’s most capable launch vehicle along with flexibility to meet a wide variety of emerging needs," ATK Aerospace Systems Group President Blake Larson said in a press statement. "Liberty provides greater performance at less cost than any other comparable launch vehicle.”

First Stage
The Liberty rocket would use a Utah-built solid-fuel motor similar to those used for the space shuttle as the first stage, with the second liquid-fueled stage produced by a European company,Astrium. Both companies boast that their motors have been used on dozens of successful flights.

Working With A Challenge
Yet melding the two technologies — the companies have never worked together before — remains a challenge. “We have a team of 30 people working full time on that goal as we speak,” Patterson said.