Posted by Ray Katz in NASA, current, private
Orbital Sciences eyes human space flight
Taurus II: Could it carry astronauts to the ISS?
David W. Thompson, chairman Orbital Sciences, a corporation that won a contract to re-supply the International Space Station, says his company wants to provide manned flight services for NASA. In his comments, however, Thompson suggested the timeline for this might be fifteen to twenty years.
The company currently produces a variety of space vehicles; the most important ones are called Pegasus, Minotaur and Taurus. It is the Taurus II rocket that could be modified and combined with a crew capsule that could carry astronauts (theoretically) to the International Space Station.
Thompson suggests that this could be accomplished within 4 years with an investment of $2-$3 billion.
With NASA’s future so much in flux, it seems well within the realm of possibilities. Current plans call for the International Space Station to be retired by 2016.
