CASTOR 30A

CASTOR 30A is the exact solid upper-stage motor installed as the second stage of Antares 110. A NASA-hosted Antares reference identifies CASTOR 30A on the first two Antares-110 flights and describes the CASTOR 30 as based on a shortened CASTOR 120 solid rocket motor. NASA's COTS 2 press kit describes the Antares second stage as an ATK CASTOR 30 solid-propellant motor and reports 322 kN for the launch vehicle's second-stage thrust, but that figure is not assigned to this motor's typed thrust fields because its operating condition and exact 30A test basis are not stated. The exact motor's current production or universal in-service status is not established; historical Antares 110 use alone is insufficient to mark the motor retired, so lifecycle is unknown. Northrop Grumman remains linked through the existing canonical developer and manufacturer records, and the Antares 110 installation is preserved.