The Orbital press release is reproduced below:



(Dulles, VA 16 April 2008) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that its Pegasus® space launch vehicle successfully launched the U.S. Air Force’s Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite into its intended low-Earth orbit. The mission was the 25th consecutive successful mission for the Pegasus program since 1997 and the 39th overall flight of the company’s air-launched system since its introduction in 1990.

“Pegasus continues to prove that it is the most reliable and versatile small launcher in the world today, with another successful mission supporting an important Air Force program,” said Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems Group. “Orbital-developed launch vehicles continue to demonstrate their value to our customers in the military, civil government and commercial markets with highly reliable and available launch services at reasonable prices.”

The Pegasus/C/NOFS mission took place earlier today, originating from the Reagan Test Site, Kwajalein, Marshall Islands in the mid-Pacific Ocean. Following a one-hour long preplanned positioning flight, the Pegasus rocket was released from Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft at approximately 1:00 p.m. (EDT). The C/NOFS satellite, which weighed approximately 870 lbs. (395 kg.) at launch, was accurately deployed into its targeted elliptical orbit of 205 x 385 nautical miles (400 x 850 km.) after an 8-minute powered flight sequence. Due to its launch from the near-equatorial Reagan Test Site, the satellite’s orbit is at a low inclination of 13 degrees to the equator.

The C/NOFS satellite is a joint project of the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Center’s Space Development and Test Wing and the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, both of which are based at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, NM. General Dynamics designed and built the satellite and Orbital provided the launch services.

About Pegasus

Pegasus is the world’s leading launch system for the deployment of small satellites into low-Earth orbit. Its patented air-launch system, in which the rocket is launched from beneath Orbital’s “Stargazer” L-1011 carrier aircraft over the ocean, increases performance, reduces cost and provides customers with unparalleled flexibility to operate from virtually anywhere on Earth with minimal ground support requirements.

About Orbital

Orbital develops and manufactures small rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company’s primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low Earth-orbit, geosynchronous Earth-orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also offers space-related technical services to government agencies and develops and builds software-based transportation management systems for public transit agencies and private vehicle fleet operators. More information about Orbital can be found at _http://www.orbital.com

Source: Orbital press release

The General Dynamics press release is reproduced below:


April 16, 2008
Contact: Mike Greenwood
Tel: (480) 284-0782
Email: Michael.greenwood@gd-ais.com

C/NOFS Satellite Built by General Dynamics Successfully Launched From Reagan Test Site

GILBERT, Ariz – The Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite, designed and built by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, was successfully launched today from the U.S. Army’s Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. C/NOFS is a Department of Defense (DOD) Space Test Program and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) mission that will forecast outages in DOD satellite communication links caused by ionospheric irregularities.

General Dynamics was the prime contractor responsible for the design, development, payload and system integration, test and launch of the satellite. Assembly of the spacecraft and payload integration took place at its space systems factory in Gilbert, Arizona. General Dynamics worked with the AFRL to incorporate the six payloads into a fully functional space satellite. Orbital Sciences Corp. was the mission launch provider using its Pegasus launch service.

The satellite communication and navigation systems used by the Air Force and other DOD agencies are susceptible to outages due to ionospheric disturbances (scintillations) in the Earth’s equatorial region. C/NOFS is designed to help predict these scintillations. C/NOFS is the first-ever satellite system to forecast the potential degradation of satellite communication, navigation and surveillance systems due to ionospheric scintillations.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, operates and maintains mission systems for defense, space, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, homeland security and homeland defense customers. Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., the company specializes in ground systems; imagery processing; mission payloads; space vehicles; maritime subsurface, surface and airborne mission systems; and tasking, collection, processing, exploitation and dissemination programs for national intelligence. More information is available on the Internet at www.gd-ais.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 83,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 revenues of $27.2 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.



Source: General Dynamics Press Release

Pegasus Mission #39: C/NOFS

Launch Date: April 16, 2008
Launch Site: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands
Launch Vehicle: Pegasus XL
Mission Customer: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)



On April 16 2008, an Orbital Pegasus XL rocket successfully launched the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) spacecraft into orbit. The satellite was mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Orbital’s L-1011 carrier aircraft then ferried Pegasus to the launch site in the Marshall Islands. The launch was the 39th Pegasus mission since its debut in 1990 and the 25th consecutive successful mission since 1996.

The C/NOFS spacecraft is designed to detect and forecast regions of naturally occurring irregularities (scintillation) in the Earth’s atmosphere which result in decreased satellite to ground communications, and to alert users of impending satellite communication outages.

About the Pegasus Space Launch Vehicle
Orbital’s Pegasus® launch vehicle is an air-launched, internally guided, three stage solid rocket capable of launching up to 1,000 lbs. to low Earth orbit. Pegasus was specifically developed to provide cost-effective access to space for technology demonstration, scientific investigation, remote sensing and communications missions. Mated to its L-1011 carrier aircraft and dropped at approximately 38,000 feet, the vehicle free falls for approximately 5 seconds before firing its first stage rocket motor. A typical flight from drop to insertion into orbit takes approximately eleven minutes. Pegasus has conducted 38 missions to date launching over 70 satellites from six different locations worldwide.



Source: Orbital News Room