ATK Receives $90M To Supply Motors For Missile Defense And Satellite Launch Vehicles

Alliant Techsystems announced Wednesday it has received a $90 million contract to provide first-, second- and third-stage Orion solid rocket motors to Orbital Sciences Corp. for use in a variety of launch platforms including the U.S. Ground-Based Missile Defense program.

ATK's Launch Systems Group will perform the work at its manufacturing facilities in Utah. Production will run through February 2009.

ATK first produced Orion solid rocket motors in 1990 for Orbital's Pegasus launch vehicle, the first air-launched rocket to place satellites into orbit. Most recently, Orion motors were installed at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

The motors have proven their flexibility on multiple programs as they have been modified for use in a variety of launch vehicles, including Taurus, Pegasus XL, Minotaur and Hyper-X.