Alliant Techsystems to deliver 100th Orion Solid Rocket Motor
Alliant Techsystems received a $35 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation to continue providing Orion motors, and also celebrated the delivery of its 100th flight set of Orion rocket motors.
The contract includes providing Orion solid rocket motors to support programs for the U. S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Air Force through 2010. ATK’s Orion motors serve a versatile system of rockets used in commercial and government launch vehicles providing operational responsive access to space and aiding in US defense.
The Orion motors, ranging from 38 to 50 inches in diameter and four to 33 feet in length, are used to boost multiple stages of a variety of launch vehicles including; Orbital’s Pegasus(R) and Taurus(R); the Minotaur I space launch vehicle for Orbital and the U.S. Department of Defense; and the Orbital Boost Vehicle (OBV) for MDA’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program.
Orion motors were first utilized on the Pegasus launch vehicle in 1990 with a 100 percent success rate over the past 17 years. The ATK Orion and Castor 120 motors are also used for all four stages of the Taurus and Taurus XL launch vehicles.
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