ATK (Alliant Techsystems)
solid propulsion and composite technologies supported Saturday’s
successful launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station, Fla. that successfully placed into orbit the 11th Class 2R satellite
for the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS 2R-11) constellation.

Augmented thrust for the launch was provided by nine GEM-40 solid
propulsion strap-on boosters manufactured by ATK Thiokol Propulsion at its
facility in Magna, Utah — continuing a tradition of flight support for Delta
II missions that began in 1990.

Six of the boosters ignited at lift-off with the first-stage main engine.
Less than a minute later, the remaining three boosters ignited to provide
additional thrust. The spent motors were jettisoned from the rocket as it
continued its ascent.

The graphite epoxy cases for the GEM-40 boosters are manufactured by ATK
Composites, Clearfield, Utah. The facility also builds cases for other space
launch vehicles, including Delta, Titan IVB, Pegasus®, and Taurus®.

Following burnout and separation of the GEM-40 boosters and the rocket’s
liquid second stage, a STAR(TM) 48B third-stage rocket motor propelled the GPS
replacement satellite into an elliptical orbit. A STAR 37FM(TM) apogee kick
motor, initiated by a Model 2134B safe-and-arm device, provides the added
velocity to place the satellite into its final inclination and circular orbit.

ATK Elkton, Elkton, Md., has manufactured every launch vehicle upper stage
and apogee kick motor for the NAVSTAR/GPS constellation dating back to the
original experimental flights in the late 1970s.

ATK Elkton is a leading producer of solid propulsion systems for missile
defense and space applications. The STAR motor family has a 40-year heritage
of success ranging from the first human-rated solid propulsion systems used on
the Mercury and Gemini programs to more recent integrated upper stages used on
planetary and space exploration missions, including the Lunar Prospector.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion is the world’s leading supplier of solid-propellant
rocket motors. Products manufactured by the company include propulsion
systems for the Delta, Pegasus, Taurus®, Athena, Atlas, H-IIA, and Titan IV
B expendable space launch vehicles, NASA’s Space Shuttle, the Trident II Fleet
Ballistic Missile and the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile,
and ground-based midcourse defense interceptors.

ATK Composites — the largest producer of filament-wound and fiber-placed
structures in the world — has revolutionized the composites industry through
40 years of innovation and manufacturing excellence. The company produces
structures and materials for space launch vehicles, commercial and military
aircraft, and missile defense systems.

ATK is a $2.2 billion aerospace and defense company with strong positions
in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, precision capabilities, and
civil and sporting ammunition. The company, which is headquartered in Edina,
Minn., employs approximately 13,100 people and has three business groups:
Precision Systems, Aerospace, and Ammunition and Related Products. ATK news
and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com .