ATK designed Liberty to meet NASA’s human-rating requirements with a potential for a first test flight in 2014 and a crewed flight in 2015. The program’s current schedule supports crewed missions for NASA and other potential customers by 2016, with a price-per-seat that is projected to be lower than the cost on the Russian Soyuz rocket.

   Liberty’s configuration includes a solid first stage and liquid second stage engine to lower the likelihood of failure and enable a flight path with total abort coverage in the event of an anomaly. The Liberty spacecraft leverages design work performed at NASA Langley Research Center on the composite crew module and launch abort system, for which ATK was a contractor.

   “Liberty will give the U.S. a new launch capability with a robust business case and a schedule that we expect will have us flying crews in just three years, ending our dependence on Russia,” ATK Vice President and Liberty Program Manager Kent Rominger said in a statement. “This program is changing the way we do business and can also result in a positive change to government programs.”