Nine Orbital ATK Solid Rocket Motors Help Boost JPSS-1 to Orbit
DULLES, Va.Nov. 20, 2017--
Orbital ATK (NYSE:OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense
technologies, contributed to the successful launch of a United Launch
Alliance Delta II rocket as it lifted off Saturday from Vandenberg Air
Force Base, California, carrying the first Joint Polar Satellite System
(JPSS-1) spacecraft. Orbital ATK s contributions to the Delta II include
nine Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 40) and a large composite fairing for
the rocket. This event marks the penultimate launch of the Delta II
rocket. It is also the last launch to use nine GEM 40 motors.
As the Delta II program nears its retirement, more than 1,020 GEM 40
strap-on boosters have helped launch 153 Delta II missions, said
Charlie Precourt, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK s
Propulsion Systems Division. We d be nostalgic if not for the
significant progress we re already making on the new generation GEM 63
motor that will support Atlas V and future launch vehicles.
The nine GEM 40 motors used today, which is the maximum number for the
Delta II design, provided an additional 1.3 million pounds of maximum
thrust to boost ULA s Delta II launch vehicle on its successful mission.
Orbital ATK manufactured the motors composite cases in Clearfield,
Utah, and the motors themselves in Magna, Utah.
In addition to the GEM 40 motors, Orbital ATK manufactured the composite
10-foot diameter payload fairing, which encapsulates and protects the
payload, at its facility in Iuka, Mississippi. Orbital ATK also designed
and built the launch vehicle s second stage helium and nitrogen
pressurization bottles at its facility in Commerce, California.
For the JPSS-1 spacecraft, Orbital ATK manufactured the diaphragm
propellant tank at its Commerce facility. The company also designed and
produced heat pipes for two instruments aboard the satellite at its
facilities in Beltsville, Maryland.
The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) is a collaborative venture
between NASA and NOAA. It will monitor existing environmental conditions
such as temperature, vegetation, snow and ice cover, and ozone. JPSS
will also enable forecasters to more accurately predict severe weather
patterns and storm systems. JPSS-1 will be renamed NOAA-20 after it
successfully reaches orbit. Orbital ATK s Space Systems Group is now
designing and building the JPSS-2 spacecraft with options to build
JPSS-3 and -4 spacecraft in the future.
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 approximately 13,000 people across the United States and in
several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
Source: Orbital ATK
Media:
Orbital ATK
Hillary Searle, 801-251-4606
Propulsion
Systems Public Relations
hillary.searle@orbitalatk.com
or
Investors:
Orbital
ATK
Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528
Public and Investor Relations
barron.beneski@orbitalatk.com