Company s Space Components Division Successfully Tested and Shipped
Mission-Critical Spacecraft Tanks to Northrop Grumman
Shipment Occurred After Successful Qualification Testing of Tanks
DULLES, Va.Sep. 22, 2015--
Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE:OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense
technologies, announced its Space Components Division (SCD) shipped the
fuel and oxidizer tanks to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) in
Redondo Beach, California for integration into NASA s
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These tanks will provide
propulsion for JWST, which is the successor to the Hubble Space
Telescope. The tank shipment comes after a successful qualification
program in which a tank was pressurized to failure following a grueling
qualification test sequence. The tank s Propellant Management Device
(PMD), designed to provide gas-free propellant in a low-gravity
environment and reduce telescope residual motion, was successfully slosh
tested (ensuring survivability) for four months prior to manufacture and
installation into the tanks.
The design, manufacture and test of these tanks shows the commitment
and expertise that we provide to our Northrop Grumman customer and
ultimately, NASA, said David Shanahan, Vice President and General
Manager of Orbital ATK s SCD. We are proud that our work contributes to
the James Webb Space Telescope program; the ultimate reward is
delivering a high quality product to the mission.
The two tanks were designed and manufactured at Orbital ATK s Commerce,
California facility, known for the production of tanks for many NASA
programs as well as commercial and military spacecraft and launch
vehicles. The PMD with the unique slosh-damping feature was designed and
analyzed by PMD Technology, the foremost designer of low-gravity fluid
dynamics acquisition devices, and manufactured by Orbital ATK
specifically for the JWST.
The delivery of the JWST propellant tanks showed exemplary
collaboration between ATK, Northrop Grumman and NASA and accomplished a
significant milestone in our Spacecraft build and test program, said
Andy Cohen, Director and JWST Spacecraft Manager for Northrop Grumman.
Not only will JWST be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter
primary mirror, it will be the most powerful space telescope ever built.
It will launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana in October 2018.
Serving thousands of astronomers worldwide, JWST will be the premier
observatory of the next decade. It will study every phase in the history
of the universe: to see the first light of the universe, watch galaxies
collide, see stars and planets being born, find and study exoplanets and
study our own solar system.
About Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies.
The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation
systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and
merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related
propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense
electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition;
satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced
aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK
employs more than 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in
several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
Source: Orbital ATK, Inc.
Media:
Space Systems Group Public Relations
Orbital ATK
Vicki
Cox, 703-406-5663
vicki.cox@orbitalatk.com
or
Investors:
Orbital
ATK
Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528
Investor Relations
barron.beneski@orbitalatk.com