• Forum
• SITREP
• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security

• Space

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Public Eye

ORBITAL COMPLETES NEW SATELLITE MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT COMPANY'S DULLES, VIRGINIA CAMPUS

New 125,000 Square Foot Facility is the Largest Satellite Plant in the Eastern United States

About 20 Satellites to Be Built and Tested in New SMF During Next Two Years

(Dulles, VA 2 May 2000) -- The largest U.S. satellite manufacturing facility (SMF) east of the Mississippi River is now ready for occupancy, Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today. Located in Dulles, Virginia, about 30 miles west of Washington, DC, Orbital's new 125,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility will house all of the company's satellite manufacturing, assembly and testing activities. Orbital is the world's leading manufacturer of innovative small satellites that are used in a wide range of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary (GEO) communications, remote imaging and scientific missions. The company's customers include numerous U.S. and international commercial enterprises and government agencies. Over the past 15 years, Orbital has designed, built, delivered and launched over 85 satellites, which have amassed over 300 years of in-orbit experience.

"This new facility, one of the most modern in the world, is emblematic of Orbital's commitment to producing the industry's most reliable, affordable and innovative small- and mid-size satellites for our customers," said Mr. Robert R. Lovell, Orbital's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group (SSG). "The consolidation of our satellite manufacturing operations at one state-of-the-art facility will help us further improve our already strong project management, operational efficiency and quality control processes. We expect that the new SMF will result in a better working environment for our employees and better products for our customers," he added.

Orbital's new SMF will include a 40,000 square foot "high-bay" area that will house a full suite of environmental test equipment used to simulate the rigorous conditions of a satellite's launch sequence and its operation in space. The facility will also be home to two large "clean rooms," totaling over 25,000 square feet, in which satellites are kept during assembly, integration and check-out phases. A new satellite command and control ground station for Orbital's ORBIMAGE affiliate's OrbView-3 and -4 high-resolution imaging satellites will also be incorporated into the complex later this year, which will include office space for engineers, technicians and administrative staff who will work in the building.

Among the satellite programs that Orbital now has under way at other facilities that will be moved to the Dulles SMF is N-Star C, a GEO mobile communications satellite platform, scheduled for launch in 2002, for a well-known Japanese customer, NTT DoCoMo. In addition to pursuing GEO satellite projects, which is an emerging market niche for Orbital's satellite capabilities, the company will also perform work on numerous LEO satellites at the SMF. Among near-term LEO satellite projects to be housed in the SMF are several scientific spacecraft for NASA, including two known by the acronyms SORCE and QuikTOMS, as well as up to 15 additional ORBCOMM satellites that may be added to the 35 in-orbit spacecraft in ORBCOMM's wireless data communications network.

The SMF is a centerpiece of Orbital's Dulles, Virginia campus expansion designed to accommodate the company's fast-growing business. In addition to the SMF, Orbital has recently completed two new 90,000 square foot buildings containing office, laboratory, administrative and employee amenity space. With an additional 160,000 square foot office building now under construction for completion in 2001, Orbital is planning about a three-fold increase in the size of its Dulles campus, which occupies over 70 acres, both in terms of employees and facilities. Orbital's Dulles facilities will increase to over 600,000 square feet and its employees based at Dulles will increase to nearly 2,000 over the next year.

Orbital is one of the largest space technology and satellite services companies in the world, with 1999 total enterprise revenues of about $915 million. The company, which is headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, employs about 5,500 people at major facilities in the United States, Canada and several overseas locations. Orbital is the world's leading manufacturer of low-cost space systems, including satellites, launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, satellite ground systems and related digital infrastructure. Its Magellan subsidiary is a pioneer in satellite-based navigation and communications products for consumer and industrial markets. Through its ORBCOMM and ORBIMAGE affiliates and ORBNAV subsidiary, Orbital is also a major operator of satellite-based networks that provide data communications, high-resolution imagery and automotive information services to customers all around the world

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