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ORBITAL'S PEGASUS ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ASTRONOMY SATELLITE FOR NASA

WIRE Mission Represents 26th Flight in the Pegasus Program's History

(DULLES, VA 5 MARCH 1999) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that its Pegasus® rocket successfully launched the Wide-Field Infrared Explorer satellite (WIRE) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in a mission that was carried out Thursday evening, March 4, from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California. The WIRE mission was the first launch of the Pegasus rocket in 1999 following two consecutive years of flawless performance encompassing 11 previous launches in 1997 and 1998. The WIRE mission also represented the 26th launch in the innovative air-launched rocket program's history, a depth of experience far greater than any other small launch vehicle.

On Thursday, the WIRE mission originated from VAFB, when the company's "Stargazer" L-1011 Pegasus carrier aircraft took off at approximately 5:55 p.m. (PST). The aircraft flew about 100 nautical miles off the California coast at an altitude of 39,000 feet to a predetermined launch point over the Pacific Ocean. After being released from its carrier aircraft at 6:57 p.m. (PST), the Pegasus rocket ignited its first stage motor after a planned five-second free fall. Following an approximate 9-minute flight, Pegasus accurately delivered the 561-pound (254-kilogram) WIRE satellite into its targeted polar orbit approximately 340 miles (540 kilometers) above the Earth, inclined at 97.5 degrees to the equator. Preliminary information indicates that the main operating systems of the satellite are performing as expected.

"We are very pleased to begin 1999 where we left off last year - with another successful Pegasus mission," said Mr. James R. Thompson, Orbital's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems Group. "This year will be another busy period for Orbital's launch activities. Along with the scheduled launches of our Pegasus, Taurus and suborbital rockets, we also plan to conduct the first flights of two new launch systems in 1999, the X-34 reusable launch vehicle for NASA and the OSP rocket, capable of both space and suborbital missions, for the U.S. Air Force," he added.

NASA's 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 WIRE mission is to study the history of star formation in the early universe. To accomplish this mission, the WIRE satellite carries a telescope with no moving parts and a field of view about the size of the full Moon. The telescope is supercooled to -436 degrees Fahrenheit (-260 degrees Centigrade) using solid frozen hydrogen so that its own heat emission will not interfere with the light it is trying to detect from space.

Orbital is one of the largest space and information systems companies in the world, with 1998 revenues of about $735 million. The company, which is headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, employs over 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