Developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation's OrbCommGlobal, L.P. affiliate, the OrbCommnetwork offers low-cost data communications services in the United States and virtually all other regions around the world. The system's space segment consists of 28 satellites.

Today's Pegasus XL launch was the eighth successful space launch mission supported by Alliant Techsystems' solid rocket boosters thus far during its fiscal year 1999, which began April 1. The missions, which were flown by Pegasus XL vehicles, Boeing Delta II vehicles, and the U.S. Air Force's Titan IV B rocket, have placed 31 commercial satellites and two government payloads into orbit around the Earth.

Alliant's Space and Strategic Systems Group provides the solid rocket boosters for the Pegasus XL rocket and the Taurusa launch vehicle, also produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation, the Delta family of vehicles, and the Titan IV B rocket, which is manufactured by Lockheed Martin Astronautics for the U.S. Air Force.

Paul A. Ross, group vice president, Space and Strategic Systems, said the missions continue a long tradition of providing high-quality, reliable solid rocket boosters for the launch industry.

"This is a tremendously exciting time to be in the space launch business," said Ross. "We are pleased to be a key supplier to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Orbital Sciences Corporation - all premier companies and leaders in the industry. Our boosters, which are built to the highest standards of quality under strict process control guidelines, are playing a key role in helping to make each company's launch vehicle the most reliable and successful in its market segment."

Alliant Booster Manifest Since July

• A Delta II launch of five Iridium system satellites on Sept. 8. The launch brought to 50 the number of Iridium system satellites launched by Delta II rockets since May 1997. The Iridium system is a global wireless communications network that will combine the worldwide reach of 66 low-Earth orbit Motorola satellites with land-based wireless systems to enable subscribers to communicate with hand-held telephones and pagers virtually anywhere in the world.
• A Pegasus XL launch of eight satellites for the OrbCommglobal data communications system on Aug. 2. The launch brought the total number of OrbCommsatellites deployed to 20.
• A Delta II launch of the Thor III satellite for Telenor Satellite Services of Norway on June 9. The satellite, built by Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc. for Telenor, will enhance television services in the Nordic countries and other parts of Europe. The Thor I and Thor II satellites also were launched into orbit by Delta II vehicles.
• A Delta II launch of five Iridium system satellites on May 17, marking the ninth successful Iridium mission since the first five satellites were placed into orbit a year earlier.
• A Titan IV B launch of a classified payload on May 8. This was the third flight of a Titan IV B rocket with Alliant's new Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade (SRMU) boosters. In October 1997, a Titan IV B successfully launched the NASA Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn.
• A Delta II launch of four satellites of the Globalstar network on April 24. The satellites, built by Space Systems/Loral, will provide voice, data, fax and other telecommunications services to users throughout the world beginning in 1999.
• A Pegasus XL launch of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft on April 1. The 469-pound NASA spacecraft will study the evolution of events in the Sun's atmosphere that originate at the solar surface.

Missions scheduled for the balance of Alliant's fiscal year include nine launches by Boeing Delta II rockets and one launch by the Boeing Delta III rocket, the newest member of the Boeing Delta family of vehicles. Payloads include both commercial satellites and NASA spacecraft. Four Pegasus XL launches of commercial and NASA payloads are scheduled between now and the end of March. One Taurus launch is planned during the period.

Alliant's SRMU boosters will fly on three Titan IV B rocket missions during the second half of the year, including the first Titan IV B launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Alliant announced recently that The Boeing Company has selected its solid rocket motors to provide the first-stage boost assist for three commercial variants of the new Boeing Delta IV family of space launch vehicles. The order is included in long-term commercial contracts worth approximately $750 million for Delta boosters awarded to Alliant in June 1998. The exercise of production options could ultimately add another $1 billion to the total value of the contracts. (See Spacer.com Report)

In addition to the vehicle's solid rocket boosters, Alliant also is producing composite structures for the Boeing Delta IV under a recently announced long-term contract estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion if all options are exercised. The structures will be fabricated at a new plant in Iuka, Miss.

Alliant provides SRMU boosters and services for the Titan IV B vehicle under contracts from Lockheed Martin Astronautics valued at $1.78 billion.

Alliant Techsystems' Space and Strategic Systems Group comprises the company's space and strategic propulsion and Utah-based composites structures operations. The group employs approximately 1,800 people in California, Florida, Mississippi, and Utah, and reported sales of $370 million in fiscal year 1998. The solid rocket boosters for the Delta, Pegasus, Taurus, and Titan launch vehicles are manufactured at the group's rocket motor production facility in Magna, Utah, and composite structures production facility in Clearfield, Utah.