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Orbital Sciences Corporation
Type Public (NYSE: ORB)
Founded 1982
Headquarters Dulles, Virginia
Key people David W. Thompson, CEO
J.R. Thompson, COO
Garrett E. Pierce, CFO
Industry Aerospace and Defense
Products Space Launch Vehicles, Missile Defense Systems, Satellites and Related Systems, Advanced Space Systems, Space Technical Services
Revenue $1084.09M USD (FY 2007)
Employees 3,300 (2008)
Divisions Launch Systems Group
Space Systems Group
Advanced Programs Group
Technical Services Division
Website www.orbital.com

Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC, though commonly referred to as Orbital) is a Dulles, Virginia company which specializes in satellite launch and manufacture. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems. Orbital formerly owned ORBIMAGE (now GeoEye) and the Magellan line of GPS receivers, though they are now divested (the latter to Thales). Orbital's NYSE ticker symbol is ORB. This company should not be confused with the Australian Orbital.

Contents

History

Orbital was founded in 1982 by David Thompson, Bruce Ferguson and Scott Webster.1 In 1990, the company successfully carried out eight space missions, highlighted by the initial launch of the Pegasus rocket, the world's first privately-developed space launch vehicle.2 In 2006 Orbital conducted its 500th mission since the company’s founding.

In 1997 it spun off its space imaging division Orbital Space Imaging or ORBIMAGE (with Thompson then as chairman). It is now GeoEye.

Business Groups

  • Space Systems Group (SSG)

Orbital is one of the world's leading providers of small- to medium-class satellites. Since the company's founding in 1982, Orbital has delivered over 110 spacecraft to commercial, military and civil customers worldwide. To date, these spacecraft have amassed in nearly 630 years of on-orbit operations.3

  • Launch Systems Group (LSG)
The historic Pegasus launch vehicle in its final assembly stage. A Pegasus rocket was put on display in the Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum in 2004.

Orbital's space launch vehicles are the industry standard for boosting small payloads to orbit. The Pegasus rocket is launched from the company's "Stargazer" L-1011 carrier aircraft and has proven to be the industry's small space launch workhorse, having conducted 40 missions from six different launch sites worldwide since 1990. The Taurus and Minotaur ground-launched rockets combine Pegasus upper stages with either government-supplied or commercially available first-stage rocket motors to boost larger payloads to orbit. Minotaur IV is the newest addition to Orbital's line of space boosters and combines decommissioned Peacekeeper rocket motors with proven Orbital avionics and fairings to provide increased lifting capacity for government-sponsored payloads.4

Orbital is also an industry-leading provider of suborbital launch vehicles for the nation's missile defense systems. In the last 10 years it has conducted nearly 50 major launches for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Air Force, the Army and Navy to develop, test and enhance U.S. missile defense systems.5

  • Advanced Programs Group (APG)

Orbital’s extensive experience in developing innovative and reliable small launch and space systems is currently being applied to new technologies for human spaceflight, commercial transportation, aeronautical research and space transportation.6

  • Technical Services Division (TSD)

Orbital provides cost-effective engineering, production and technical management expertise primarily for space-related science and defense programs. Typically, it supplies specialized personnel — engineers, scientists, technicians and other professionals — with specific knowledge in the areas that the customer is pursuing. The Orbital employees often work side-by-side with the customers' technical staff at their facilities. They perform a wide range of functions, from system-level efforts such as special payload equipment and training support for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions to component-level tasks including development of high-energy microwave transmitters for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.7

Primary Facility Locations

Orbital Products

International Space Station Resupply

The Taurus rocket lifts off successfully from Vandenburg Air Force Base. The rocket currently holds a 100% success rate

NASA Constellation Program

Satellite launch vehicles

Experimental vehicles

Missile Defense Systems and Ballistic Target Vehicles

The GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST) flies over the bow of the U.S. Navy observation ship during a routine test

GEO Satellites

STAR 2 platform
At its Dulles, Virginia plant Orbital builds medium-sized spacecraft based on the company's STAR 2 platform. Both payloads of a September 2007 Ariane 5 launch — Optus D2 and Intelsat 11 were built on the STAR 2 platform.9
An Orbital STAR 2 Communications Satellite undergoes RF signal pattern testing in an anechoic test range at the Satellite Manufacturing Facility (SMF) in Dulles, Virginia

LEO satellites

The GALEX spacecraft is mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle

Planetary probes

The Dawn spacecraft awaits mass properties measurements in the 100,000 class cleanroom at the Dulles, VA facility

Client Countries

Launch Sites

Orbital's launch vehicles have been staged from many sites worldwide. These include:

Notable Partnerships

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ "Satellites & Space Systems". Orbital (2008-12-23).
  4. ^ "Space Launch Vehicles". Orbital (2008-12-23).
  5. ^ "Missile Defense Systems". Orbital (2008-12-23).
  6. ^ "Advanced Space Systems". Orbital (2008-12-23).
  7. ^ "Space Technical Services". Orbital (2008-12-23).
  8. ^ "SpaceX and Orbital Win Huge CRS Contract from NASA". NASASpaceFlight.com (2008-12-23).
  9. ^ "Arianespace boosts Intelsat 11 and Optus D2 into orbit". Arianespace (2007-10-05).
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