Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 16, 1994 TAG: 9403160047
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: FAIRFAX LENGTH: Medium
The Taurus rocket carried two military satellites into orbit Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Orbital chief executive David Thompson said.
"Taurus really hit the bull's eye," Thompson said. "First flights for new rockets are the ultimate test of truth."
Orbital now has three major rockets for orbital missions and a collection of smaller rockets that carry payloads into the atmosphere.
"They have a very ambitious launch schedule this year," said George Podrasky, an analyst who follows Orbital at the securities rating firm Duff & Phelps. "They've got to maintain a good track record."
The company bills Taurus as a relatively cheap way to launch payloads. Orbital Sciences says governments or companies that cannot afford the $50 million cost of a large rocket might opt for Taurus, priced from $18 million to $20 million.
Low operating cost is another draw, Thompson said.
"We've cut the amount of man-hours that go into putting together the rocket dramatically," Thompson said.
The rocket can be launched with a relatively small, 25-person crew, he said.
Founded in 1982 by three space entrepreneurs, Orbital has managed steady growth in the past year as it widened its launch schedule.
Profits rose 21 percent last year to $4.6 million. Revenues rose 9 percent to $190 million.
Orbital's biggest star so far is Pegasus, a winged rocket that can reach space after it is dropped from a high-flying airplane. It first flew in 1990 and has been launched three times since then.
Pegasus can carry about 1,000 pounds. Taurus, launched from the ground, can carry about 3,000 pounds, or a medium-sized payload, into low orbit.
Taurus grew from a Pentagon idea in the 1980s that military commanders should have a small, transportable rocket on hand to launch satellites in wartime.
by CNB