Orbital Sciences
Corporation announced today that it has been awarded a
sole-source contract for the Critical Measurements and Countermeasures
(CMCM-1) Program under the Critical Measurements Program (CMP)
contract by U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC),
located in Huntsville, AL. The contract, with an initial value of $14
million, includes launch vehicle design, payload interface development
with two national laboratories, and vehicle integration and launch
services. The CMP/CMCM-1 launches are scheduled to take place in 2005
and will test advanced reentry systems and countermeasures. Orbital
has previously supported similar critical measurements and
countermeasures flight tests under the CMP and predecessor programs
with a total of nine launches carried out in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999
and 2001. Orbital is also currently under contract for the CMP-4
program for two launches in 2004.

“Orbital is very pleased and excited to provide continued support
for the Missile Defense Agency’s Critical Measurements and
Countermeasures Program, employing our cost-effective medium range
target vehicle in another key application. We’re also very much
looking forward to the continuation of the long-standing working
relationships and successful flight tests characteristic of this
program over the last 10 years,” said Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital’s
Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems
Group.

Orbital’s launch systems, including space launch vehicles, missile
defense interceptors and target and other suborbital rockets, are
primarily produced at the company’s engineering and manufacturing
facility in Chandler, Arizona and its vehicle assembly and integration
facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The company’s
Pegasus, Taurus, Minotaur and Peacekeeper space launch vehicles are
used by government and commercial customers to deliver small- and
medium-class satellites into low-altitude orbits above the Earth. The
U.S. Department of Defense employs the company’s suborbital rockets in
missile defense systems primarily as threat-simulating target vehicles
and interceptor boosters for U.S. national defense systems.

In addition to its launch vehicle systems, Orbital’s other primary
products are satellites and related space systems, which are also used
by commercial, civil government and military customers. These products
include low-orbit, geostationary and planetary spacecraft for
communications, remote sensing and scientific missions. In addition,
Orbital offers space-related technical services to government agencies
and develops and builds satellite-based transportation management
systems for public transit agencies and private vehicle fleet
operators.