2012-09-13 22:22:19 -
For Immediate Release
For More Information Contact:
Barron Beneski (703) 406-5528
Public and Investor Relations
beneski.barron@orbital.com
ORBITAL SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES PATRIOT TARGET VEHICLE FOR MISSILE DEFENSE TEST
-- Company Launches Third Juno PTV for U.S. Air Force Space
and Missile Systems Center --
(Dulles, VA 13 September 2012) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB)
announced today that it successfully launched a Patriot Target Vehicle (PTV)
under contract with the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC)
Space Development Launch Operations (SDLO). The PTV served as an intercept
target for the U.S. Army Lower Tier Project Office (LTPO) Patriot missile
defense system. The PTV was launched this morning from Fort Wingate into White
Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico. It flew a southerly trajectory over
WSMR and was intercepted by a Patriot PAC-3 missile interceptor system during
reentry.
The Patriot Target Vehicle, known as Juno, is the third Orbital-provided target
launched under contract with the U.S. Air Force. The Juno target was designed,
built, tested and launched to support the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of the
PAC-3 missile to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under an LTPO contract. The UAE
is a key U.S. partner in the upgrade of the PAC-3 missile system.
"We are very pleased to support the U.S Air Force/SMC and U.S. Army/Lower Tier
Project Office with a third successful target launch, culminating in a
successful intercept," said Mr. Ron Wiley, Senior Vice President of Suborbital
Launch Systems at Orbital. "We look forward to supporting future tests for the
Space and Missile Systems Center with the Juno target, which has successfully
demonstrated its capabilities as a robust, well-characterized target system for
SDLO missions and Patriot engagements."
Orbital developed the PTV target vehicle over a two-and-a-half-year period under
contract to Space Development Launch Operations according to specifications that
required the vehicle to have selectable reentry dynamic performance. The Juno
PTV rocket relies heavily on flight-proven designs from other Orbital launch
vehicles, such as the Medium Range Target, Storm Short-Range Target and Pegasus
space launch vehicle.
Orbital is one of America's most experienced developers and operators of missile
defense-related launch vehicles, with over 65 target launches successfully
conducted during the past 10 years. The company supports virtually all of the
country's major missile defense programs with highly-reliable and cost-effective
target vehicles. In addition to the Patriot program, Orbital's target vehicles
are used to test MDA's Aegis BMD and Ground-based Midcourse Defense system
(GMD), as well as the U.S. Army's Patriot PAC-3 and THAAD systems. Orbital also
produces the Coyote ramjet-powered supersonic sea-skimming target vehicle used
to test U.S. Navy's ship self-defense systems.
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
satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to U.S. Government
agencies and laboratories.
More information about Orbital can be found at www.orbital.com
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Source: Orbital Sciences Corporation via Thomson Reuters ONE
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