Antares rocket prepares for April test launch

Nature : Following the successful launch of SpaceX ‘s Falcon 9 on 1 March, competitor Orbital Sciences plans to launch its Antares rocket in April. Both vehicles have received funding from NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which seeks alternatives to the now-retired space shuttle for supplying the International Space Station (ISS). Whereas SpaceX has already achieved five successful launches, this will be the first test for Orbital Sciences. Unlike newcomer SpaceX, Orbital has been around for 30 years, primarily building satellites for commercial, military, and civil use. In 2008 Orbital joined the COTS program to support human spaceflight. Its first endeavor, the Cygnus spacecraft, differs from SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft in several ways: Cygnus can’t carry sensitive biological experiments, it burns up on reentry, and it can’t be modified to carry humans. Nevertheless, Orbital’s attempt may mark the beginning of the next space race, with multiple commercial companies vying not only to supply the ISS but also to launch private space stations, orbiting fuel depots, and asteroid-mining operations, writes Devin Powell for Nature.