2013-03-11 14:30:55 -
ORBITAL-BUILT SATELLITES EXCEED 1,000 YEARS OF CUMULATIVE IN-ORBIT OPERATIONAL
EXPERIENCE
-- Company's 30-Year History Includes 146 Satellites Built and Launched,
With 81 Currently in Full Operations --
(Dulles, VA 11 March 2013) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of
the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that it recently
achieved a significant space operational milestone. The fleet of satellites
that Orbital designed, built and, in some cases, launched recently marked 1,000
years of cumulative in-orbit operational experience. This achievement has been
accomplished by only four other companies since the dawn of the space age.
Today, 81 of the 146 total spacecraft Orbital built over the last 30 years are
fully operational, fulfilling their missions for customers in the fields of
commercial communications, Earth and space science, national security,
commercial imaging and others. Each day, these active spacecraft add over two
and a half months to the company's cumulative in-orbit operating experience.
"This milestone is a testament to the robust design of Orbital's satellite
platforms and the rigorous testing process that each spacecraft undergoes prior
to launch," said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's President and Chief Executive
Officer. "Throughout Orbital's 30-year history, our focus has been on designing
and building space systems that offer our customers an ideal combination of
performance, affordability and, most important of all, reliability."
The 146 satellites built by Orbital and its predecessor companies have been
deployed into low-, medium- and geosynchronous-altitude orbits, as well as into
higher-energy Earth-escape trajectories. Of the satellites constructed by the
company, 77 were built and launched for commercial communications and imaging
customers and 69 were contracted by and delivered to government customers, such
as NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and several international government
customers. Orbital built its satellite design and manufacturing business not
only through internal investments, but also through a series of strategic
acquisitions that brought important technical capabilities, modern facilities
and a talented workforce into the company, whose experience has added to
Orbital's legacy.
Several Orbital-built spacecraft have recently reached noteworthy milestones.
These include:
Landsat 5 and LDCM (Landsat 8) Remote Sensing Satellites - The Landsat 5
satellite was recently honored by Guinness World Records as the longest
operating Earth observation satellite after nearly 29 years in space, far
outliving its original three-year design life. Completed and launched in 1984,
the satellite was officially retired by the U.S. Geological Survey in December
2012. More recently, the Orbital-built Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)
satellite was launched into orbit in February 2013 and is now undergoing in-
orbit testing before being placed into service and rechristened Landsat 8,
extending the 40-year history of this pioneering Earth observation program.
Dawn Planetary Exploration Spacecraft - Dawn is the second interplanetary
spacecraft built by Orbital. Following its launch in September 2007 and a
nearly four-year journey to the main asteroid belt located between Mars and
Jupiter, Dawn returned never-before-seen images of Vesta, one of the largest
asteroids in the solar system, providing scientists with valuable clues to how
the planets were formed. Dawn uses advanced ion propulsion, an innovative
system that enabled it to reach its destination and to become the first
spacecraft to orbit one body, Vesta, and then travel to and orbit another body,
the nearly planet-size Ceres, where it will arrive in early 2015 and conduct
another six months of observations. In total, Dawn will have traveled about
three billion miles when its mission is complete in three years.
Azersat/Africasat-1 Commercial Communications Satellite - As an example of
Orbital's end-to-end satellite system capabilities, Orbital designed, built and
tested the Azersat/Africasat-1 commercial communications satellite for the
Republic of Azerbaijan. With its launch in February 2013, Azerbaijan's Ministry
of Communications and Information Technologies for the first time will soon be
able to provide its citizens and government organizations with a modern,
nationwide and international communications infrastructure based on the
capabilities of Orbital's 5-kilowatt geosynchronous satellite that carries 36
active C- and Ku-band transponders. Orbital also designed and built the ground-
based command and control network and provided pre-launch satellite operations
training for a staff of Azerbaijani engineers.
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
www.orbital.com.
# # #
Contact:
Barron Beneski (703) 406-5528
Public and Investor Relations
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Beneski.barron@orbital.com
Note to Editors:
High-resolution images of Orbital satellites can be found at:
www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/ImagesMultimedia/Images/
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
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(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Orbital Sciences Corporation via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1684348]
