Sierra Nevada Corporation Completes Initial In-Orbit Checkout of Eleven Satellites Built for ORBCOMM

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has successfully completed the solar array deployment and initial on-orbit checkout phase as planned for all 11 satellites launched for ORBCOMM’s Generation 2 (OG2) Mission 2. The communication satellites were launched on December 21, 2015 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The launch utilized an innovative configuration of three stacked EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) Grande rings to carry the eleven satellites to orbit.

“The initial results of the on-orbit performance of the spacecraft have met or exceeded our performance criteria,” said Mark N. Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC’s Space Systems. “I would like to thank all the members of our spacecraft systems team as well as our payload subcontractor, Boeing, for delivering this next-generation satellite system. We also want to express our appreciation to ORBCOMM for this opportunity to provide these 17 satellites over the past year and two launches, allowing them to offer their subscribers a more enhanced and efficient network capacity. We are proud to have led such an extraordinary team for the OG2 program and to enable this next generation constellation mission.”

SNC is the prime contractor and spacecraft bus manufacturer for OG2, completing all design, manufacturing and integration at SNC’s facility in Louisville, Colorado. The first six OG2 mission satellites were launched on July 14, 2045. Once the final 11 satellites are phased into their final orbital positions, the constellation will be complete.

Similar to management of the 2014 launch, SNC will provide ORBCOMM on-orbit servicing and operations support from SNC’s Satellite Operations Center in Louisville, Colorado, in addition to on-site support at the ORBCOMM Network Control Center in Sterling, Virginia.

“We’d like to thank SNC for their hard work and dedication to making this mission a success,” said Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM’s chief executive officer. “We are pleased with the initial operation of the spacecraft and look forward to integrating the recently-launched satellites into the constellation. This launch solidifies the exponential growth of ORBCOMM’s network capacity.”

All OG2 spacecraft are based on SNC’s flight-proven SN-100 satellite bus, which can be tailored to support a variety of applications, including communication, Earth observation, weather and space science. The SN-100 is designed for a five-year-minimum life and utilizes a modular payload deck that can be rapidly integrated and tested using highly automated scripts to test all functions. This allows the baseline satellite to be quickly and cost-effectively configured to meet the needs of many customers.

Photo Cutline: SNC built OG2 satellites stacked on ESPA Grande ring.

About Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems business area based in Louisville, Colorado, designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, space vehicles, rocket motors and spacecraft subsystems and components for the U.S. Government, commercial customers, as well as for the international market. SNC’s Space Systems has more than 25 years of space heritage and has participated in over 400 successful space missions through the delivery of over 4,000 systems, subsystems and components. During its history, SNC’s Space Systems has concluded over 70 programs for NASA and over 50 other clients. For more information about SNC’s Space Systems visit www.sncspace.com and follow us at Facebook.com/SNCSpaceSystems and Twitter @SNCspacesystems.

About Sierra Nevada Corporation

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), headquartered in Sparks, Nevada, delivers technology and teams designed to connect and protect, through innovative solutions in aircraft, aerospace, electronics, cyber and avionics. With a track record of success spanning five decades, SNC has been honored as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies, “The Top Woman-owned Federal Contractor in the U.S.,” and is among “The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Space.” SNC and its subsidiaries and affiliates operate under the leadership of President Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen, with a workforce of more than 3,000 personnel in 33 locations in 18 U.S. states, England, Germany and Turkey.

For more information on SNC visit www.sncorp.com and follow us at Facebook/Sierra Nevada Corporation. Sierra Nevada Corporation and SNC are trademarks of Sierra Nevada Corporation.