OATK-Iuka again aids in launch

DULLES, Va. – The aerospace and technologies firm Orbital ATK provided the propulsion, composite and spacecraft technologies to enable the successful launch of both the United Launch Alliance's Delta IV rocket and the ninth Wideband Global SATCOM satellite March 19 from Cape Canaveral, Fla. “A launch like this one clearly demonstrates the breadth of our product lines in the launch and satellite sectors,” said Scott Lehr, President of Orbital ATK’s Flight Systems Group. Both the satellite and launch vehicle use cutting-edge technologies from multiple Orbital ATK facilities. For the Delta IV rocket, Orbital ATK provided four 60-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM-60). The solid rocket boosters are produced in Magna, Utah, facility, where it has manufactured 84 GEM-60s since 2002. OATK also supplied a combined 18 Delta IV and GEM-60 key composite structures, which provide lower weight and higher performance. Those composite structures’ advanced wet winding, machining and inspection techniques are manufactured in Iuka, Miss., and Utah. (Business Wire 03/20/17)