-- Mission Marks the Fifth Flight of Antares Rocket and Fourth
Deployment of Cygnus Spacecraft --
DULLES, Va.Oct. 26, 2014--
Orbital
Sciences Corporation (NYSE:ORB), one of the world s leading space
technology companies, today announced that it is prepared to launch the
company s AntaresTM
rocket carrying a CygnusTM
cargo logistics spacecraft destined for the International Space Station
(ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA.
Pending completion of final vehicle testing and acceptable local weather
conditions, the launch of the Orb-3 mission will take place on Monday,
October 27, with lift-off scheduled for 6:45 p.m. (EDT) from the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA s Wallops Flight
Facility in eastern Virginia. The Antares medium-class rocket will boost
the Cygnus spacecraft into a targeted orbit of approximately 125 x 185
miles (200 x 300 kilometers) above the Earth, inclined at 51.6 degrees
to the equator. Following in-orbit activation and testing after launch,
Cygnus is slated to rendezvous and berth with the ISS on November 2.
Live coverage of the Antares launch and Cygnus berthing with the ISS
will be available on NASA Television at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.
Orbital s Antares rocket will be carrying a Cygnus spacecraft, the SS
Deke Slayton, named for one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts,
said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital s Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. In addition to his distinguished career as an astronaut, Deke
was an early proponent of commercial space initiatives and helped
establish the Commercial Space Launch Act in October of 1984. Fittingly,
the SS Deke Slayton will be launching during the same month that this
groundbreaking legislation was enacted thirty years ago.
Under its $1.9 billion CRS contract with NASA, Orbital will use Antares
and Cygnus to deliver up to 44,000 pounds (20,000 kilograms) of cargo to
the ISS over eight missions through 2016. For each mission, NASA will
manifest a variety of essential items based on ISS program needs,
including food, clothing, crew supplies, spare parts and equipment, and
scientific experiments.
For Orbital s fourth mission to the space station, which includes the
2013 full demonstration mission, the Cygnus spacecraft is carrying 5,050
pounds (2,290 kilograms) of supplies to the Space Station, including
science experiments to expand the research capability of the Expedition
41 crew members aboard the orbiting laboratory, along with crew
provisions, spare parts and experiment hardware. This mission will also
feature Orbital s first use of the upgraded Castor 30XL
second stage motor, which enables greater lift capacity for this and
future missions.
Orbital privately developed the Antares launch vehicle to provide
low-cost, reliable access to space for medium-class payloads. It is the
largest and most complex rocket the company has ever produced. Under the
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) joint research and
development initiative with NASA, Orbital also developed and
demonstrated the Cygnus spacecraft, which is an advanced maneuvering
vehicle that meets the stringent human-rated safety requirements for ISS
operations. Together, these products showcase Orbital s ability to apply
rigorous engineering approaches and commercial business practices to
significantly shorten development timelines and lower operational costs
of sophisticated space systems as compared to traditional government-run
programs.
About Antares
The Antares medium-class launch vehicle represents a major increase in
the payload launch capability that Orbital can provide to NASA, the U.S.
Air Force and commercial customers compared to its heritage small-class
space launch vehicles such as Pegasus and Minotaur. The Antares rocket
can launch spacecraft weighing up to 14,000 lbs. (6,400 kg.) into
low-Earth orbit, as well as lighter-weight payloads into higher-energy
orbits. Orbital s newest launcher has completed four successful missions
and is currently on-ramped to both the NASA Launch Services-2 and the
U.S. Air Force s Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 contracts, enabling the
two largest U.S. government space launch customers to order Antares for
right-size and right-price launch services for medium-class
spacecraft. For more information on Antares, visit: http://www.orbital.com/LaunchSystems/SpaceLaunchVehicles/Antares/.
About Cygnus
Orbital developed the Cygnus cargo spacecraft under a joint research and
development program with NASA. Cygnus consists of a common Service
Module (SM) and a Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM). The SM incorporates
avionics, power, propulsion and communications systems already
successfully flown aboard dozens of Orbital s LEOStar and GEOStar
satellites. The PCM, designed and built by Thales Alenia Space under a
subcontract from Orbital, is based on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module
(MPLM) previously used with the Space Shuttle. With a full load of cargo
and fuel, the standard-configuration Cygnus weighs about 5,200 kilograms
at launch and generates 3.5 kilowatts of electrical power while in
orbit. It is capable of extended duration missions of a year or longer
in space. For more information on Cygnus, visit: http://www.orbital.com/AdvancedSystems/Publications/Cygnus_factsheet.pdf.
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.
Follow the company on Twitter @OrbitalSciences.

Source: Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Barron Beneski, 703-406-5000
Public
and Investor Relations
beneski.barron@orbital.com