250th Delivery by ATK Sparks Plant-Wide Celebration
Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) will commemorate the delivery of the 250th Delta launch vehicle composite structure with a plant-wide celebration on February 13, 2008. The United Launch Alliance Delta program has been a cornerstone for the ATK Iuka facility since its opening in August of 1998. ATK has expended nearly 2.1 million man-hours since the program inception.
“ATK began production at the Iuka facility in 1998 as a greenfield site hiring technicians and operators with almost no experience in the aerospace industry or with the manufacture of composite structures. Today, this facility has one of the most skilled workforces competing in one of the fastest growing segments of the aerospace industry,” said Sherry Grady, Vice President Launch Structures of ATK Aerospace Structures. “I am extremely proud of this team. This milestone signifies our dedication to the United Launch Alliance and highlights our expertise in producing reliable and affordable large scale composite structures.”
The ATK Iuka facility provides the composite structures for both the Delta II and Delta IV launch vehicles. The structures range in size from 3 to 5 meters (10 to 16.6 feet) in diameter and up to 63 feet in length. The Delta family of launch vehicles’ primary mission involves boosting U.S. Government payloads aimed at improving the forecasting of weather, collection of scientific data, and fulfillment of national security objectives. The Delta program has helped to broaden our understanding of the universe by providing proven, reliable and versatile expendable launch vehicles since 1960.
ATK has been operating in the Tri-State Industrial Park in Tishomingo County since 1998. ATK currently employs over 200 people in Iuka including production and machine operators as well as a salaried professional staff of engineers, program managers and executives. ATK is dedicated to long term growth of its Iuka operation producing state of the art composite structures for launch vehicles and commercial aircraft.
ATK is an advanced weapon and space systems company with annual revenues in excess of $4.1 billion that employs more than 17,000 people in 21 states. News and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/.
