-- Company Consolidates its Chandler Operations with Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony for
New 83,000 sq. ft. Building --
-- Expansion Increases Orbital’s Total Phoenix-Area Presence to Over
600,000 Square Feet --
DULLES, Va.Sep. 17, 2009--
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading
space technology companies, today conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to
formally mark the opening of a new 83,000 square foot building adjacent
to the company’s current facilities on South Price Road in the Ocotillo
area of Chandler, Arizona. The building will house approximately 300
employees in the company’s launch vehicle design, engineering,
manufacturing, and program management operations.
The opening of the new building, which was constructed under a
“build-to-suit” agreement with Gilbane Development Company, follows the
company’s 11-year renewal of the lease on its current facility with W.P.
Carey & Co., ensuring that orbital will remain an anchor corporate
tenant in Chandler for at least the next decade. With the addition of
the new building and expansion of its Tempe warehouse facilities, the
company occupies over 600,000 square feet of engineering, manufacturing
and testing facilities in the Greater Phoenix area.
“For over 20 years we have enjoyed a very business-friendly environment
in Chandler,” said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital’s Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer. “We are most appreciative of the City’s
responsiveness to our expansion plan. In turn, we are very pleased to
continue to grow in the area, adding to the dynamic local business
environment and generating significant economic benefits for the
community.”
Orbital’s long-term plans for the Chandler campus, subject to future
business considerations, include the construction of two additional
buildings totaling up to 150,000 square feet. Together with the
company’s current on-site facilities, the new development would create a
48-acre campus with approximately 650,000 square feet of engineering,
industrial and administrative space that will be capable of
accommodating about 2,200 employees. Orbital currently employs
approximately 1,450 full- and part-time employees at its Chandler
operations.
Orbital’s multi-year expansion in Chandler has been fueled by the
continued strong demand for the company’s launch vehicle products that
are used primarily by the U.S. government to deploy and test critical
missile defense systems, and to launch scientific and national security
satellites. Orbital is also developing a new space launch vehicle, the
Taurus II rocket, which will carry out cargo transportation
missions to the International Space Station and launch larger satellites
into orbit.
In addition to the company’s expansion of its Arizona facilities, in
late 2008 Orbital completed the first of up to four new buildings at its
Dulles, Virginia headquarters and satellite and space systems
manufacturing facilities. Orbital currently occupies over 565,000 sq.
ft. at its 77-acre Northern Virginia campus accommodating approximately
1,600 full- and part-time employees.
Orbital has also opened two new offices to support its expanding
involvement in human spaceflight systems for NASA and national security
space programs for the U.S. military. To better serve existing customers
and pursue new business opportunities in these areas, the company
established an engineering and technology center in Huntington Beach,
California and opened an office in Houston, Texas. Nationwide, Orbital
occupies over 1.35 million square feet of office, laboratory,
manufacturing, test and warehouse space and employs approximately 3,600
people.
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
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 satellite subsystems and
space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories.
More information about Orbital can be found at http://www.orbital.com
Source: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Public and Investor Relations
Barron
Beneski, 703-406-5528
beneski.barron@orbital.com