NSROC II Transition

Orbital’s Technical Services Division wins NSROC II Contract

NASA awarded the Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract II (NSROC II) to Orbital Sciences Technical Services Division. The IDIQ contract is valued by Orbital at about $125 million, with a maximum value of $310 million over a five-year performance period that begins after a 60-day phase-in period.

Press Release: NASA Selects Orbital for Major Sounding Rocket Program Prime Contract

(Dulles, VA 30 July 2010) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced that it was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the prime contractor role on the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract II (NSROC II) program. The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity NSROC II contract carries a maximum total value of $310 million over its five-year term, with a current expected value of at least $125 million.

Under the NSROC II program, which is primarily centered at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Orbital’s Technical Services Division (TSD) will be responsible for planning, coordinating and carrying out sounding rocket missions from locations in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, Orbital TSD will work with NASA to develop and implement advanced sounding rocket capabilities to be used on the program. Sounding rockets are smaller-sized launch vehicles that conduct suborbital missions for high-altitude scientific and atmospheric research.

“Orbital’s Technical Services Division is honored to have been awarded the NSROC II contract,” said Mr. John Pullen, Orbital’s Vice President and head of TSD. “Orbital has a long history of supporting NASA’s sounding rocket program, which provides space scientists and weather researchers with valuable data for their investigations. Orbital was a major contributor to the NSROC I team from 1999 to 2009 and we look forward to our new role in leading the effort for NASA.”

In addition to the NSROC II contract, which the company will begin to execute over the next several months, Orbital has a major launch site development project underway with NASA and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to prepare the Wallops Flight Facility to accommodate final assembly and launch operations for the company’s new Taurus® II medium-class space launch vehicle and Cygnus™ cargo logistics spacecraft for missions to the International Space Station. Initial Taurus II launches from Wallops are scheduled to begin in 2011.

Once the NSROC II program is fully staffed, together with the company’s employees working on launch site development and Taurus II assembly and check-out, Orbital will employ over 250 people and contractors at Wallops on a day-to-day basis.

NASA NSROC II News Release

From Mike Larkin, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Space Systems Group

Orbital TSD is honored to have been awarded the NSROC II contract. We are proud to once again be part of a legacy that spans 60 years, and we are committed to ensuring the Wallops Flight Facility retains its position as the World Leader in Sounding Rocket Technology and Suborbital Space and Earth Science Research.

From John L Pullen, Vice President, Orbital Technical Services Division

Welcome to the NSROCII Team!

NSROC II will be a flagship program within Orbital. We are excited about becoming part of NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program and working with you to help the Sounding Rocket Program continue its stellar success record.

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