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ORBITAL TO LAUNCH NASA ASTRONOMY SATELLITE ABOARD PEGASUS ROCKET

Launch to be Conducted Tonight from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

WIRE Satellite to Help Scientists Understand the Evolution of the Early Universe

(DULLES, VA 4 MARCH 1999) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it will launch NASA’s Wide-Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) satellite aboard the company’s Pegasus rocket this evening, March 4, at approximately 6:57 p.m. Pacific time (or 9:57 p.m. in the Eastern United States). The WIRE mission will originate from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California and will be the first Pegasus mission of 1999 following two consecutive years of flawless performance. Over the past two years, the Pegasus rocket has successfully deployed a total of 33 satellites, including 24 for Orbital’s ORBCOMM Global data communications affiliate, in 11 consecutive successful missions.

The launch window for the WIRE mission extends from 6:51 p.m. to 7:01 p.m. (PST), with a targeted launch time of 6:57 p.m. (PST). This revised schedule remains subject to the completion of final pre-launch testing and acceptable weather conditions at launch time.

The mission sequence is expected to take approximately nine minutes, from the time the Pegasus rocket is released from its L-1011 carrier aircraft, about 100 miles off the California coast, to the time that the satellite is deployed into orbit from the rocket’s final stage. Orbital plans to launch the WIRE satellite into a circular orbit 340 miles (or 540 kilometers) above the Earth, inclined at 97.5 degrees to the equator.

NASA’s 561-pound (or 254-kilogram) WIRE satellite is a part of the space agency’s Small Explorer (SMEX) series of lightweight spacecraft designed to carry out cost-effective scientific missions. The purpose of the four-month WIRE mission is to study the formation and evolution of “starburst” galaxies to help astrophysicists gain a better understanding of the structure and evolution of the early universe.

Orbital is one of the largest space and information systems companies in the world, with 1998 revenues of $734 million. The company, which is headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, employs 4,500 people at its major facilities in nine states and several international locations. Orbital is the world’s leading manufacturer of low-cost space systems and products, including satellites, launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, satellite ground systems and software, and satellite-based navigation and communications products. Through its ORBCOMM and ORBIMAGE affiliates, Orbital is also a pioneering operator of satellite networks that provide data communications and high-resolution imagery services to customers all around the world.

Contact: Barron Beneski, 7034065000, beneski.barron@orbital.com