-- Contract for New Business Area Valued Up To
-- Work to Include Engineering and Flight Operations for About 15 Missions per Year --
Orbital s TSD will provide program management, mission planning,
engineering services and field operations for the scientific balloon
program, which has a 50-plus year history of support for high-altitude
scientific research. The NBOC is executed primarily from the
Mr.
Over more than five decades that scientific research has been conducted
using high-altitude balloons, there has been a vast increase in
experiment sophistication, flight frequency and mission durations. The
growth in balloon size, payload mass and electronics support has been
dramatic, increasing from an average payload mass of approximately 400
pounds in the 1960 s to payloads that commonly weigh 5,000 pounds and
are routinely carried aloft by balloons of 20 to 30 million cubic feet
today. The NBOC supports scientific research in areas such as X-ray,
ultra-violet, optical and infrared astronomy, as well as in atmospheric
conditions, magnetospherics, micrometeorite particles and cosmic
microwave background studies. In addition to the balloon operations
conducted in
The NBOC contract adds to Orbital s large presence at WFF, which also includes the prime contractor role for NASA s Sounding Rocket Operations Program-2 (NSROC-2), and from which the company assembles, tests and launches Antares and Minotaur space launch vehicles. With the addition of the NBOC program, Orbital will maintain a permanent WFF-based workforce of approximately 250 employees, with substantial influx of other employees and contractors during space launch operations.
About Orbital
Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and
space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers.
The company s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles,
including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary
exploration spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific
and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar
and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver
satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as
interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides research rocket
and satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to
Source:
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528
Public
and Investor Relations
beneski.barron@orbital.com