ATK's Solid Rocket Boosters Help Launch Space Shuttle Endeavour

ATK's Titanium Auxiliary Power Unit Fuel Tanks Supply Orbiter's Hydraulic System
PR Newswire
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/Alliant Techsystems' (NYSE: ATK) Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM) ignited at 4:14 a.m. EST, launching the Space Shuttle Endeavour and its crew on their 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS). More than 100 RSRM flight sets have been launched to date, marking a two-decade track record of flawless performance.

"The successful launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour highlights the capabilities and progress ATK and NASA have made in developing the most reliable, affordable and capable family of solid rocket motors ever produced," said Blake Larson, ATK Space Systems President. "Tremendous synergy is garnered by utilizing motors with unmatched safety and reliability from the space shuttle for NASA's future human spaceflight programs."

The 149-foot-tall solid rocket boosters each produced more than 15 million horsepower, safely launching the shuttle to approximately 28 miles in altitude in just over two minutes. After the flight, the RSRMs were jettisoned from the orbiter and external tank by ATK's 16 Booster Separation Motors (BSMs). Each booster has eight BSMs: four on the forward skirt and four on the aft skirt. The separation motors propelled the RSRMs to a safe distance from the shuttle orbiter, enabling the spent boosters to parachute down through the Earth's atmosphere where they splashed down into the ocean and were recovered. The solid rocket motors were produced at ATK's facility in Promontory, Utah.

In addition, ATK supplied the titanium hydrazine propellant tanks for the space shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Three APU tanks, manufactured at ATK's Commerce, Calif., facility, house the hydrazine fuel that generates power for the shuttle's hydraulic system. These tanks have performed perfectly for each of the shuttle's three decades of operations.

Endeavour's flight will include three spacewalks and the delivery of a connecting module that will increase the ISS's interior space. Node 3, known as Tranquility, will provide additional room for crew members and many of the space station's life support and environmental control systems. Attached to the node is a cupola, which is a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that will provide a panoramic view of Earth, celestial objects and visiting spacecraft. After the node and cupola are added, the space station will be about 90 percent complete.

Since the inaugural flight of the space shuttle, ATK and NASA have constantly improved their techniques and processes to increase the safety and mission reliability of the RSRMs. These motors have undergone countless subscale material characterization tests that tie together complex analyses with hard data. They have also undergone 52 full-scale ground tests. This heritage is being transferred to the Ares I first stage program, which recently performed a successful ground test of its five-segment solid rocket in September 2009.

"As we move closer to the completion of the Space Shuttle Program, ATK continues its focus on a rigorous test program, with the final RSRM static firing in just two weeks," said Mike Kahn, ATK Space Systems executive vice president. "These investments directly contribute to the safety and cost-effectiveness of the motors as we move into the testing phase for NASA's next generation systems."

ATK is a premier aerospace and defense company with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com.

Certain information discussed in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although ATK believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Among those factors are: assumptions related to the challenges of developing next-generation space launch vehicles; changes in governmental spending, budgetary policies and product sourcing strategies; the company's competitive environment; the terms and timing of awards and contracts; and economic conditions. ATK undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For further information on factors that could impact ATK, and statements contained herein, please refer to ATK's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.