Orbital Sciences (OSC) is claiming a record $2.5 billion-worth of new orders in 1998 for space and ground infrastructure systems product lines.
Just over half the contracts were for Pegasus, Taurus and suborbital rocket launches and $475 million for sensors, electronics and satellite ground systems. The latest figures bring the total value of orders in the last three years to $5.2 billion.
Included in the $1.3 billion launch order total was NASA's exercising of an option in its contract with OSC to fly 25 additional missions of the X-34 technology demonstrator spaceplane. The contract is now worth $85 million and covers 27 flights.
The first two test flights will be made from White Sands Missile Range, with the remainder taking place from the Kennedy Space Center, all initiated with an air drop from OSC's Lockheed L-1011carrier aircraft.
The US space agency hasbooked a second launch under its $400 million 16-mission Small Expendable Launch Vehicle contract with Orbital Sciences for a Pegasus to place the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) into orbit in September 2001.
A Pegasus has already been selected for the launch of the HESSI satellite for NASA.
The company has also been selected by the University of Colorado to build a $26 million Solar Stellar Intercomparison Experiment Atmospheric Variability Explorer satellite (Solstice/ Save), which is scheduled to be launched on a Pegasus in 2002 on a five-year mission as part of the US space agency's Earth Observing System (EOS) programme, using much of the imaging technology being developed for OSC's Orbimage 4 high-resolution spacecraft. Orbital Sciences is already building the Acrimsat spacecraft for the EOS.
Orbital Sciences has purchased Raytheon's Transportation Management Solutions business for $21 million, combining this business with its own Intelligent Transportation Systems division, to form an expanded unit that will be known as the Orbital Sciences Management Systems division.
The operation will be the USA's largest supplier of automatic vehicle location systems, using satellite and terrestrial communications and positioning technologies.o7 billion [$1.2 billion]", with net income of around Fr70 million.
Source: Flight International
