Orbital ATK Successfully Completes OA-4 Cargo Delivery Mission to International Space Station for NASA
February 22 2016 - 8:30AM
Business Wire
Enhanced Cygnus Spacecraft Delivered Largest
Commercial Cargo Load to Date
Company on Track for Fifth Cygnus Mission in
March
Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE:OA), a global leader in aerospace and
defense technologies, today announced the successful completion of
its fourth cargo delivery mission (OA-4) to the International Space
Station (ISS), including the initial demonstration flight and three
operational missions under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services
(CRS) contract. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus™ spacecraft delivered 7,700
pounds of cargo to the ISS, the largest cargo shipment to date by a
commercial company.
The company is now preparing for its next cargo mission in March
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, using its enhanced
Cygnus spacecraft to deliver vital supplies and experiments to the
ISS. Two additional CRS missions scheduled later this year will
launch aboard the company’s upgraded Antares rocket from NASA’s
Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.
The Cygnus spacecraft that carried out the OA-4 mission
unberthed from the ISS on February 19, completing a 72 day stay at
the orbiting laboratory. Prior to its departure, the astronauts
loaded the cargo module with approximately 3,000 pounds (over 1,400
kilograms) of items for disposal. Cygnus performed a safe,
destructive reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific
Ocean east of New Zealand on February 20 at approximately 11:00
a.m. (EST), marking the successful conclusion of the mission.
“Orbital ATK made history with the OA-4 mission, delivering a
record amount of cargo by a commercial system to the ISS,” said
Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK’s Space Systems Group.
“From launch to our safe reentry, the entire Orbital ATK team
performed flawlessly on every phase of this mission. We now turn
our efforts toward final preparations for the next Cygnus cargo
mission in March with a continued focus on supporting the needs of
the crew members aboard the ISS.”
The OA-4 mission began on December 6, 2015, when a United Launch
Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched Cygnus into orbit from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Cygnus berthed with the ISS
three days later, successfully delivering vital supplies and
science experiments to the astronauts onboard.
Preparations are well underway for the company’s next CRS
mission, known as OA-6. The Cygnus pressurized cargo and service
modules for OA-6 have been mated and are being processed at NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center for integration with the ULA Atlas V rocket.
Cygnus is scheduled to launch aboard the Atlas V in March from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Orbital ATK and ULA are
targeting a launch date of March 22 for the mission
pending final approval from the Eastern Range.
Following OA-6, Orbital ATK plans to resume cargo resupply
missions with its enhanced Cygnus spacecraft and upgraded Antares
launch vehicle from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS)
located at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. At
least two CRS missions, OA-5 and OA-7, are scheduled to launch from
MARS in the second and fourth quarters of this year.
By the end of 2018, Orbital ATK is scheduled to have completed
10 CRS missions and delivered approximately 59,000 pounds (26,800
kilograms) of cargo to the ISS. Beginning in 2019, the company will
begin carrying out a minimum of six initial cargo missions under
the recently awarded CRS-2 contract, continuing to support the
needs of crew members aboard the ISS with mission success and
schedule certainty.
About Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense
technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space,
defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both
as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products
include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile
products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons,
armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space
components and services; and advanced aerospace structures.
Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs
approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in
several international locations. For more information, visit
www.orbitalatk.com.
“Safe Harbor” Statement Under the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995
Certain statements in this press release may be “forward-looking
statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often include the words
“forecast,” “expect,” “believe,” “will,” “intend,” “plan,” and
words of similar substance. Such forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
or performance to differ, including the following: reductions or
changes in U.S. Government or NASA spending and the potential
termination of U.S. Government contracts; the successful
integration, testing and performance of new Antares first stage
engines and other components; the timely completion of repairs at
the Wallops Island Flight Facility; and the performance of
subcontractors and other third parties. Additional information
concerning these and other factors can be found in Orbital ATK’s
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Orbital ATK
undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160222005781/en/
Media:Orbital ATK Space Systems GroupVicki Cox, (410)
409-8723Director,
Communicationsvicki.cox@orbitalatk.comorInvestor:Orbital
ATKBarron Beneski, (703) 406-5528Public and Investor
Relationsbarron.beneski@orbitalatk.com
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