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ATK Awarded $429 Million NASA Contract Modification for Space Shuttle Motors

Jul 9, 2002

Minneapolis, July 9, 2002 – ATK (Alliant Techsystems, NYSE: ATK) has received a contract modification from NASA valued at $429 million for the production and refurbishment of Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM) for the Space Shuttle program. The modification increases the total value of a basic six-and-a half-year contract awarded in October 1998 to approximately $2.83 billion and extends work on the contract through May 2007.

Under the contract modification, ATK Thiokol Propulsion, Promontory, Utah, will produce and refurbish 35 Reusable Solid Rocket Motor flight sets (70 motors) and three flight support motors that will be used for testing.

The contract issued in 1998 is the sixth in a series of contracts awarded to ATK Thiokol Propulsion from NASA for the design, development, production, and refurbishment of solid rocket motors for the Space Shuttle program.

"Solid rocket motors produced by ATK Thiokol Propulsion have launched every Space Shuttle mission since the first flight of the Shuttle Columbia in 1981," said Gerald Smith, president, ATK Thiokol Propulsion. "Our team is tremendously proud of the role we play in supporting the Space Shuttle – the cornerstone of America's civilian space program – and we look forward to continuing our partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center."

The Space Shuttle RSRM is the largest sold rocket motor ever flown and the first designed for reuse. The two RSRM's on the Shuttle provide 71 percent of thrust at liftoff and during first-stage ascent. From ignition to end of burn, each motor generates an average thrust of 2.6 million pounds and burns for approximately 124 seconds.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion is the world's leading supplier of solid propulsion systems for commercial and government space launch vehicles, strategic missiles, and missile defense interceptors.

ATK is a $2 billion aerospace and defense company with leading positions in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, and precision capabilities. The company, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately 11,300 people and has three business groups: Aerospace, Precision Systems, and Ammunition. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.