NASA has awarded Orbital Sciences a contract to help the agency send an ionosphere-monitoring satellite to orbit in mid-2017 by using the company’s Pegasus rocket. Orbital said Monday it also started production work on the Ionospheric Connection Explorer satellite at a facility in Dulles, Virginia under a contract won in 2013. The company is contracted […] More

The Orbital Sciences-built Cygnus spacecraft has returned from its voyage to the International Space Station, where the cargo ship delivered 3,669 pounds of supplies for the ISS crew. Cygnus unberthed from the orbiting laboratory Friday after staying 31 days there and reached Earth’s atmosphere Sunday at around 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time, Orbital Sciences said Monday. […] More

An Orbital Sciences-built carbon tracker spacecraft has arrived at its final orbital position in the Afternoon Constellation, which comprises of multiple satellites designed to collect environmental data worldwide. NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 completed nine orbit-raising maneuvers before reaching  an operational orbit at the A-Train head that is located approximately 438 miles above Earth, Orbital Sciences […] More

Orbital Sciences has received a contract to manufacture a HYLAS 4 satellite for Avanti Communications Group, which seeks to connect customers in existing and new markets to Ka-band broadband communications services. Orbital Sciences said Tuesday HYLAS 4 is based on its GEOStar-3 platform, will have a capacity of up to 28 gigahertz and feature 66 fixed and four steerable beams. David Williams, CEO […] More

Orbital Sciences Corp. has launched three satellites into space in an effort to help the U.S. Air Force gain situational awareness of man-made objects in Earth orbit. Two satellites took off aboard a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on July 28 as part of the Air Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, […] More

Orbital Sciences‘ Cygnus cargo spacecraft has delivered science, supplies and spacewalking payloads to the International Space Station under a $1.9 billion NASA resupply services contract. SS Janice Voss was launched aboard an Orbital Sciences-built rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and the Expedition 40 crew received the nearly 3,300 pounds of supplies at […] More

An Orbital Sciences-built spacecraft took off Sunday from Wallops Island, Virginia for the International Space Station, carrying nearly 3,300 pounds of technology and scientific cargo. Orbital and NASA launched a Cygnus cargo capsule aboard an Antares rocket at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility at 12:52 p.m. Eastern time, NASA said Sunday. The Sunday launch marks […] More

Orbital Sciences and NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have commenced in-orbit testing for a satellite the company built to monitor atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 spacecraft has reached its target orbit nearly an hour after it lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Delta II rocket Wednesday morning, Orbital said […] More

A spacecraft Orbital Sciences built for NASA is set to blast off Tuesday morning on a two-year mission to measure carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmoshphere. Orbital Sciences will launch the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite aboard a Delta II rocket Tuesday at 2:56 a.m. Pacific Time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the company […] More

Orbital Sciences Corp. has won an estimated $55 million contract to launch a NASA satellite system intended to help researchers forecast weather conditions. The Dulles, Va.-based company will work to process the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, integrate payloads into the spacecraft and install tracking, data and telemetry systems, NASA said Friday. The University of Michigan will […] More

Orbital Sciences will launch Skybox Imaging’s imaging and spacecraft into space in late 2015 under a contract of an undisclosed value. The commercial Minotaur-C space launch vehicle will be used to transport six Skybox spacecraft into low-Earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Orbital said Thursday. Orbital’s small-class launch vehicles unit within its launch systems group […] More

An Orbital Sciences cargo spacecraft launched from NASA‘s Wallop’s Flight Facility in Virginia Thursday to carry supplies to the International Space Station. An Antares rocket lifted off from Wallops and will transport 2,780 pounds of load including science experiments, crew supplies and spare parts to the ISS, NASA said Thursday. The mission is Orbital’s first contracted cargo delivery […] More