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ATK Boosters Launch Next-Generation Military Communications Satellite Aboard Titan IV B Rocket

Feb 28, 2001

ATK (NYSE: ATK) (Alliant Techsystems), said two solid propulsion boosters designed and manufactured by ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, Magna, Utah, helped launch a Milstar II military communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. Air Force aboard a Lockheed Martin Titan IV B rocket on Feb. 27. The successful launch, which took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., was the first of several Titan IV B missions planned in 2001.

The Milstar II satellite is the Defense Department's most technologically advanced telecommunications satellite and is the first to carry the Medium Data Rate payload, which can process data at speeds of 1.5 megabits per second. It joins two Milstar I satellites already in orbit.

Jeff Foote, president, ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, said the two 112-foot-long Titan IV B Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade (SRMU) boosters performed flawlessly in support of the Milstar II launch, continuing the company's record of 100-percent mission success.

"Consistent and predictable performance by our boosters has been a hallmark of all nine Titan IV B missions," said Foote. "Another job well done by the members of the Lockheed Martin and ATK Titan IV B SRMU team, who are proud to provide this important component for the nation's most powerful expendable launch vehicle."

The Titan IV B is capable of boosting payloads weighing 47,800 pounds into low-Earth orbit or more than 12,700 pounds into geosynchronous orbit. It is built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company-Astronautics Operations near Denver, Colo.

There are two SRMU boosters on the Titan IV B vehicle, each measuring 126 inches in diameter. The three-segment motor cases are made of graphite epoxy composite material, which reduces the inert weight of the SRMU from that of its steel-cased predecessor motor, despite the SRMU's larger size and greater amount of solid propellant. The SRMU also includes advanced electronics that are fully compliant with range safety requirements.

Flight qualification testing of the SRMU booster was completed in 1993, with the first flight occurring in February 1997. Among the Titan IV B missions since then was the launch of the Cassini/Huygens voyage to Saturn in October 1997.

ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company is part of ATK's Aerospace segment, which comprises the corporation's propulsion and composite structures operations. The Aerospace segment employs approximately 2,300 people in California, Colorado, Florida, Mississippi, New York, Utah and West Virginia. Sales in fiscal year 2000 were $530 million.

ATK is a $1.1 billion aerospace and defense company with leading market positions in munitions, smart weapons/precision capabilities, propulsion, and composite structures. The company, which is headquartered in Hopkins, Minn., employs approximately 6,400 people and has three business segments: Conventional Munitions, Aerospace, and Defense Systems. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/

SOURCE: ATK

Contact: Media, Rod Bitz, 952-931-5413, rod_bitz@atk.com, or Investors,
Steve Wold, 952-931-6747, steve_wold@atk.com, both of ATK