ATK, Orbital talk merger

A prospective $4.5 billion merger between Orbital Sciences Corp. and its largest supplier, Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) has gained the go-ahead from the Department of Justice following an antitrust review. Orbital developed the Antares rocket - a booster that exploded in October after launching from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on a re-supply mission to the International Space Station. Antares had previously made four successful launches. ATK is an aerospace and defense contractor and ammunition manufacturer. If the merger is OK’d by shareholders in special meetings in January, the combo-firm would be known as Orbital ATK. The merger could be completed as early as February. Such mergers must pass federal muster under antitrust laws. (Source: Daily Press, Va., 12/08/14) Central Mississippi Note: In 2009, ATK announced it would locate high-tech aerospace and defense operations, in the area of manufacturing composite structures, at Iuka, Miss.