A U.S. Air Force satellite is scheduled Friday to launch into orbit aboard the Orbital ATK-built Minotaur IV rocket that will lift off from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Spaceflight Insider reported Wednesday. The Operationally Responsive Space 5 satellite will work to provide situational awareness capabilities as the U.S. military […] More

Orbital ATK and NASA have conducted a preliminary design review of a land surface mapping satellite the company is building for the space agency and the U.S. Geological Survey. The review occurred at Orbital ATK’s Gilbert, Arizona, facility in July and showed that the Landsat 9 satellite meets system and schedule requirements, the company said Tuesday. NASA awarded […] More

David Thompson, president and CEO of Orbital ATK, has said he thinks the growth in government satellite work the company has seen since early 2016 could help make up for the weak demand for commercial communications satellites, Space News reported Friday. “Continued strength in government satellite activity, particularly military or defense-related satellite activity, should offset […] More

Orbital ATK has demonstrated the common fuze for a medium caliber round fired from its M230 Link Fed Bushmaster Chain Gun during the Bushmaster User Conference at Big Sandy Range in Arizona. The company said Monday it used the common fuze approach in both 30mm and 40mm programmable air-bursting rounds and expects the fuze to support […] More

Orbital ATK has secured a five-year, $48 million contract from the Missile Defense Agency to help sustain Trident I and Orion rocket motors the agency intends to use in target and interceptor vehicles. The company said Wednesday it will provide engineering, test and analysis, motor logistics storage and disposal static test, and flight test motor preparation support under the […] More

Orbital ATK has demonstrated its air-launched intermediate-range ballistic missile target in support of the test flight program for the Missile Defense Agency’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. The Orbital ATK-built IRBM target simulated a ballistic missile threat after being launched from a C-17 aircraft and transported by parachutes prior to ignition, the company said Tuesday. […] More

Orbital ATK has received a five-year, $53.6 million contract modification to supply an undisclosed number of M1156 precision guidance kits to the U.S. Army. The full obligated amount at the time of award is from the service branch’s fiscal 2017 “other” funds, the Defense Department said Thursday. Work will occur at an Orbital ATK facility in Plymouth, […] More

The U.S. government has awarded Orbital ATK a contract to provide repair services for Iraq’s trainer aircraft. The contract covers the Iraqi air force’s five Cessna Caravans and 12 Cessna 172 Skyhawk planes, Orbital ATK said Thursday. Cary Ralston, vice president and general manager of defense electronic systems division at Orbital ATK’s defense systems group, […] More

Orbital ATK has opened a 60,000-square-foot engineering facility next to the company’s satellite assembly and testing hub in Gilbert, Arizona. The company said Wednesday it aims to create 155 full-time positions over the next five years through the expansion project that will increase Orbital ATK’s total footprint in Arizona to nearly 850,000 square feet. Rick Kettner, Orbital […] More

Orbital ATK carried out a live-fire demonstration of its MK44 Bushmaster Chain Gun at the firm’s Bushmaster User Conference held at Big Sandy Range in Arizona. The weapon system mounted on a General Dynamics-built light armored vehicle and Kongsberg-made protector turret fired 30mm and 40mm rounds against steel panel, adobe and concrete block targets during the […] More

Orbital ATK has installed and tested an acoustic hostile-fire indication system on a fixed-wing aircraft that was configured to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. ShotFinder was integrated onto a Cessna-built Grand Caravan aircraft to collect data in various operating missions as part of the test, Orbital ATK said Wednesday. Orbital ATK developed the warning system with Scientific Applications and Research […] More

Orbital ATK has analyzed the results of a qualification test on the attitude control motor of the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort system. The company said Monday results from the test in Elkton, Maryland indicate that the ACM’s HT-11 ‘high thrust’ demonstration was fully successful and the motor can now enter the program’s qualification phase. ACM features a […] More