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ORBITAL'S CHANDLER, ARIZONA ROCKET BUSINESS PROVIDES UNITED STATES WITH ALL NEW SPACE LAUNCH CAPABILITYNew OSP Rocket for U.S. Air Force Designed, Built and Tested at Company's Arizona Facility Under $200 Million Contract from the U.S. Air ForceOrbital's PegasusŪ and TaurusŪ Space Launch Vehicles, with 18 Consecutive Successful Missions, Also Assembled and Tested at Suburban Phoenix Plant Chandler, AZ, January 28, 2000 - The United States has an all-new rocket to launch government satellites into space, thanks in large part to the work that Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) performed at its Chandler, Arizona rocket assembly and testing facility, the company said today. Earlier this week, on Wednesday, January 26, in a mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the U.S. Air Force's new Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP) space launch vehicle (sometimes referred to as the "Minotaur") made its successful debut when it launched 11 small satellites, including one built by Arizona State University, into their targeted orbits. The Air Force's Orbital/Suborbital Program is a space-age "swords into plowshares" effort to use government-owned rocket motors, deactivated as a result of arms reductions treaties, as the basis for a new low-cost rocket that will reliably launch government spacecraft at significantly lower costs than commercially available launch vehicles. Under a $200 million contract from the Air Force, Orbital is responsible for performing the design, assembly, integration and testing work of the Air Force's new OSP rocket at its Chandler facility. Orbital combines Minuteman II rocket motors, formerly the basis for many of the nation's ICBM fleet, with its own commercial Pegasus rocket upper stages and guidance technology, to create the new four-stage rocket. The company is also responsible for conducting the launch operations, which are supported by Chandler-based personnel who travel to the launch site. Orbital's Chandler facility is also the location where the company prepares its Pegasus and Taurus launch vehicles for their space missions, which have carried out a combined 18 consecutive successful missions over the last three years. The company's Launch Systems Group, which employs over 600 engineers, technicians and other professionals, is primarily based in Chandler and is ISO-9001 certified, an internationally recognized standard for quality manufacturing processes. Orbital is one of the largest space technology and satellite services companies in the world, with 1999 revenues targeted to exceed $900 million. The company, which is headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, employs over 5,200 people at its major facilities in the United States, Canada and several overseas locations. Orbital is the world's leading manufacturer of low-cost space systems and products, including satellites, launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, satellite ground systems and software, and satellite-based navigation and communications products. Through its ORBCOMM and ORBIMAGE affiliates and ORBNAV subsidiary, Orbital is also a pioneering operator of satellite-based networks that provide data communications, high-resolution imagery and automotive information services to customers around the world. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Barron Beneski (703) 406-5000 www.orbital.com
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