Taiwan’s National Space Program Office to Launch Environmental Monitoring Satellite Aboard Enhanced Version of Company’s Ground-Launched Booster
Orbital Sciences Corporation announced today that its Taurus rocket, one of the world’s premier
small space launch vehicles, has been selected by the Republic of China’s
National Space Program Office (NSPO) to launch the ROCSAT-2 remote sensing
satellite.
The primary objective of the ROCSAT-2 satellite mission, scheduled
for 2003, is to observe and monitor via satellite the terrestrial and marine
environment and natural resources throughout Taiwan, its remote islands and
surrounding ocean for civil applications.
In addition, the ROCSAT-2 satellite
also carries a ‘Sprites Imager’ scientific instrument to study the
electrodynamical coupling between thunderclouds and the upper atmosphere by
taking images of lightening discharges.
Neither party disclosed the value of
the award, which is subject to final contract execution.
“The ROCSAT-2 contract award demonstrates that the international space
community continues to embrace Orbital’s family of reliable space launch
vehicles,” said Mr. Ronald J. Grabe, Executive Vice President and General
Manager of Orbital’s Launch Systems Group.
“We are very appreciative of the
National Space Program Office’s confidence in our team and we look forward to
carrying out a successful mission for them.”
The Taurus rocket is a four-stage, ground-launched vehicle derived from
the company’s highly successful Pegasus space launch vehicle program.
Since
its debut in 1994, Taurus has established a perfect mission success record
with five successful missions to its credit.
Taurus fills the cost and
performance gap between Pegasus and the industry’s larger, more expensive
launch vehicles, delivering satellites weighing up to 3,000 pounds into low-
Earth orbit, or up to 800 pounds into geosynchronous transfer orbit. Taurus
offers unprecedented operational flexibility for a ground-launched vehicle.
It is fully transportable, capable of launching from underdeveloped sites, and
able to be quickly assembled to provide rapid response launches.
For the ROCSAT-2 mission, Orbital will provide the higher-performance XL
version of the Taurus rocket.
The Taurus XL incorporates the first and second
stages of the Pegasus XL vehicle as compared to the original Taurus
configuration, which incorporates the first and second stages of a standard
Pegasus rocket.
Orbital is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of low-cost space
systems, including satellites, launch vehicles, sensors and electronics, and
satellite ground systems.
Orbital is also involved with satellite-based
networks that provide wireless data communications and high-resolution Earth
imagery to customers all around the world.
More information about Orbital can be found at http://www.orbital.com .
For More Information Contact:
Media: Barron Beneski
703-406-5528
Investors: Timothy Perrott
703-406-5997
