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ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company Successfully Conducts Full-Scale Space Shuttle Motor Test

May 25, 2001

ATK (Alliant Techsystems)(NYSE: ATK) said ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company, Brigham City, Utah, successfully conducted a static test firing of a full-scale Space Shuttle reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM) yesterday. The test took place at the company's Promontory, Utah, facility, located approximately 90 miles north of Salt Lake City.

The flight support test program is used to continue verification of the RSRM, including components, materials and processes. The static tests also provide opportunities to evaluate or certify various design, process and supplier changes for the RSRM flight program.

The test ran two minutes, the same duration as the motors fire when launching the Space Shuttle. The last test of an RSRM was conducted in February 2000. The next one is planned for October 2001.

The Space Shuttle RSRM is the largest solid rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. The reusability of the RSRM case is one of the most important cost-saving factors in the nation's space program. From ignition to end of burn, each RSRM generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds and burns for approximately 123.6 seconds. Each motor is just over 126 feet long and 12 feet in diameter. The entire booster -- including nose cap, frustum, and forward and aft skirts -- is approximately 149 feet long.

Of the motor's total weight of 1.25 million pounds, propellant accounts for 1.1 million pounds. Each launch requires the boost of two RSRMs. By the time the twin RSRMs have completed their task, the Space Shuttle orbiter has reached an altitude of 24 nautical miles and is traveling at a speed in excess of 3,000 miles per hour.

With safety, quality, and reliability as their primary objectives, ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company engineers direct approximately 110,000 quality control inspections on each RSRM flight set.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company, one of four operating companies within ATK's Aerospace Group, was acquired by ATK from Alcoa, Inc. in April 2001. The company is a leading supplier of propulsion systems for space launch vehicles.

ATK is a $1.6 billion aerospace and defense company with leading positions in munitions, precision capabilities, propulsion and composite structures. The company, which is headquartered in Hopkins, Minn., employs approximately 10,000 people and has two business segments: Aerospace and Defense. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at http://www.atk.com/

SOURCE: ATK

Contact: Media, Melodie DeGuibert, 435-863-3169,
melodie.deguibert@thiokol.com , or Investors, Steve Wold, 952-931-6747,
steve_wold@atk.com, both of ATK