ATK provided its propulsion technology to support the Thursday launch of the Orbital Science-built Antares rocket, which is flying its first commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. This flight represents the Antares’ third within the past nine month and is the first to use ATK’s upgraded CASTOR 30B motor, ATK announced Thursday. CASTOR […] More

Orbital Sciences Corp. is set to launch a cargo spacecraft carrying supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday. Orbital’s Antares rocket will lift off the Cygnus cargo spacecraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia into orbit for post-launch activation and testing before the spacecraft reaches the ISS on Jan. 12, Orbital Sciences said […] More

A satellite Orbital Sciences built for telecommunication services provider Thaicom PLC launched into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Monday. The THAICOM 6 satellite contains Ku- and C-band transponders and is designed to provide communications network coverage across Southeast Asia and Africa, Orbital said. Orbital will conduct geostationary orbit and operational […] More

A U.S. Air Force satellite is scheduled Friday to launch into orbit aboard the Orbital ATK-built Minotaur IV rocket that will lift off from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Spaceflight Insider reported Wednesday. The Operationally Responsive Space 5 satellite will work to provide situational awareness capabilities as the U.S. military […] More

Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Orbital ATK and their respective small business partners Davidson Technologies, Mentis Sciences and Martinez and Turek have each received an award from the Defense Department‘s office of small business programs under the mentor-protege program. The three teams, which currently support the Missile Defense Agency, received the Nunn-Perry Award in recognition of the mentor-protege teams’ technical developments and contributions to business opportunity […] More

Orbital ATK has delivered the Thaicom 8 communications satellite that it built for Thaicom to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to prepare for a scheduled May launch. The Dulles, Virginia-headquartered company said Friday Thaicom 8 is based on its GEOStar-2TM platform and is designed to support Thailand’s broadcast industry and deliver broadcast and data services to clients across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa. […] More

The International Space Station captured an Orbital ATK-built spacecraft at 6:19 a.m. Eastern time to start a 50-day berthing period for astronauts on the ISS to carry out scientific studies with cargo and other research supplies delivered by the company’s Cyngus ship. NASA said Wednesday astronaut Kjell Lindgren used the space station’s robotic arm to take in Cyngus and the spacecraft […] More

Tom McCabe serves as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Orbital ATK, the company resulting from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corp. and ATK‘s aerospace and defense groups. McCabe, a 20-year legal and operations management veteran, joined Orbital Sciences in January 2014 and holds responsibility over corporate legal matters, ethics, compliance and export […] More

SES has selected Airbus, Boeing and Orbital ATK to build satellites that will provide telecommunications services to the Americas, the north Atlantic Ocean region and Europe, Space News reported Monday. Peter de Selding writes that Boeing’s space and intelligence systems business and Airbus’ defense and space segment will provide all-electric-propulsion satellites for commercial fixed, mobile and aeronautical services. The […] More

Orbital Sciences has ordered Aerojet Rocketdyne electric propulsion subsystems for installation on its communications satellite platform. Aerojet Rocketdyne will deliver the XR-5 subsystems over the next three years for the GEOStar-3 geostationary orbit satellite, Aerojet Rocketdyne said Tuesday. The XR-5 subsystem comprises 5-kilowatt class Hall thrusters with flow regulation valves, power processing units with thruster selection units and […] More

United Launch Alliance has partnered with Orbital Sciences to provide launch services for the transportation of cargo to the International Space Station as part of NASA‘s Commercial Resupply Services program. ULA said Tuesday the agreement includes one cargo mission that will launch late next year from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station with the Atlas V 401 vehicle as well as an optional mission in 2016. […] More

Orbital Sciences has won a contract of an undisclosed value to manufacture a lightweight broadband communications satellite for United Arab Emirates-based satcom operator Yahsat. The Al Yah satellite will be built on the Orbital GEOStar-3 infrastructure and work to provide Ka-band coverage for Yahsat customers throughout Brazil and Africa, Orbital said Wednesday. Yahsat plans to […] More