OA upgrading for next-gen SLVs

DULLES, Va. - Orbital ATK (OA), an aerospace and defense technologies firm, announced April 3 that it has made important progress in the last 18 months in developing advanced solid rocket propulsion and other technologies to be used in a new generation of intermediate and large scale space launch vehicles (SLV). Through a combination of internal investment and a 2015 Air Force contract, OA’s Flight Systems Group recently completed design reviews, facility upgrades and tooling fabrication, and has now begun early production of development hardware for its Next Generation Launch (NGL) system. The next phase of the program is expected to commence when the AF awards Launch Services Agreements in 2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at OA’s facilities in Iuka, Miss.; Promontory and Magna, Utah; Chandler, Ariz.; and Kennedy Space Center, Fla. (Source: Business Wire 04/03/17)