Next Generation Launcher
| Manufacturer | Orbital ATK |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 59.84 metres (196.3 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.71 metres (12.2 ft) first stage 5.25 metres (17.2 ft) upper stage |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to GTO | Intermediate: 4,900 kilograms (10,800 lb) to 10,100 kilograms (22,300 lb) |
| Payload to GEO | Heavy: 5,250 kilograms (11,570 lb) to 7,800 kilograms (17,200 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle |
| Comparable | Preceded by Liberty |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Under Development |
| Launch sites | Kennedy LC-39B and Vandenberg SLC-2 |
| Total launches | 0 |
| Successes | 0 |
| Failures | 0 |
| Partial failures | 0 |
| First flight | 2021 (projected) |
| Boosters – GEM-63 or GEM-63XL | |
| No. boosters | 0 to 6 |
| Diameter | 1.6 m (63 in) |
| Specific impulse | 279.3 seconds (2.739 km/s) |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| First stage | |
| Engines | Castor 600 (Intermediate) or Castor 1200 (Heavy) Shuttle-derived Solid Rocket Booster |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| Second stage | |
| Engines | Castor 300 1-segment Shuttle-derived Solid Rocket Booster |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| Third stage | |
| Engines | 2 × RL-10C-5-1 |
| Thrust | 101.8 kilonewtons (22,890 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | ~450 seconds (vacuum) |
| Burn time | unknown |
| Fuel | LOX/LH2 |
Omega, stylized as "OmegA" is a launch vehicle in development by Orbital ATK as an EELV replacement program intended for national security and commercial satellites.
Omega is similar to the defunct Ares I and Liberty projects, both of which consisted of a five segment Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) and a cryogenic second stage. Ares I would have combined a five-segment SRB with a J-2X powered second stage, while Liberty would have combine a five-segment SRB with the core stage of the European Ariane 5 as a second stage. By comparison, Omega consists of Space Shuttle-derived solid stages with a cryogenic upper stage provided by Aerojet Rocketdyne (replacing earlier plans to use an upper stage provided by Blue Origin). It is intended to be launched from Kennedy Space Center LC-39B or Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-2.
Omega is proposed as a vehicle to launch national security satellites for the United States Air Force, and could launch other government and commercial payloads, including to Geostationary transfer orbit. Crewed spacecraft could also be launched, just as the predecessor Ares I and Liberty rockets, which were designed to launch the Orion space capsule.
Development is awaiting a funding decision by the USAF.
In January 2016, Orbital ATK was one of two companies awarded funds by the United States Air Force to develop technologies to eliminate dependency on the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine. The award was worth an initial $46.9 million, with an option for up to $180.2 million total. This is to be matched by $31.1 million initially, and up to $124.8 million in company funds if all options of the contract are exercised. The contract would fund the development of three technologies in support of the Omega rocket, then called Next Generation Launcher: the GEM-63XL strap-on booster, the Shuttle-derived Common Booster Core and an extendable nozzle for the BE-3U upper stage engine. A previous effort, funded by NASA, demonstrated the technology for a composite motor case for Shuttle-derived boosters to replace the metal motor cases used during the Space Shuttle program.
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