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ATK evaluates implications of Orbital rocket explosion [Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah](Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 29--Despite a serious setback from a failed Orbital Sciences rocket launch back East, the aerospace industry in Utah continues to move forward. As of yet, plans for space travel beyond the moon and to the red planet have not been scrapped. However, following the explosion of the Antares rocket moments after takeoff at Wallops Island, Virginia on Tuesday, ATK released a statement saying that it is "conducting a thorough evaluation of any potential implications resulting from this incident." Aside from the statement, ATK did not respond to media requests. The unmanned rocket was scheduled for a resupply mission to the International Space Station carrying almost 5,000 pounds of supplies, personal items and experiments. ATK said it will be evaluating current operating plans, long-term strategies and the proposed merger with Orbital Sciences Corp. Last April, ATK announced that it would merge with Orbital Sciences Corp. as part of a combined $5 billion merger-of-equals. The merger is subject to a vote during a special stockholders meeting on Dec. 9. If approved, the merger would create Orbital ATK, a new global aerospace and defense systems company. Other than the proposed merger with Orbital, ATK has not said what its involvement with Tuesday's launch included. Marshall Wright, aerospace and defense cluster director for the Governor's Office of Economic Development, said the rocket involved in the explosion was a refurbished Russian booster made by a separate company. He said the incident on Tuesday will present an opportunity for ATK and any other company involved in the aerospace industry in Utah in the future. "I see that we have a lot to do," Wright said. "I see we need to be even more active." With the use of refurbished boosters coming into question, Wright said maybe there will be a need for another delivery system, another technology. In September, ATK had already announced it had formally submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force to replace the Russian-made RD-180. The engine is currently used on the Atlas 5 Rocket to launch military and spy satellites. ATK says it has a "solid rocket propulsion" solution that provides a cost-effective, reliable replacement based on advanced technology. This may be an opportunity for a Utah company to provide that rocket system. "I think commercial space is going to be a big deal," Wright said. The staff of ATK's facility in Promontory is already working on a solid rocket motor for the the new Space Launch System, to be used to launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The company has nine locations in Utah including several in Clearfield and Promontory. NASA said the Orion spacecraft will be larger than the Apollo module and will carry up to four astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, as well as supply missions to the International Space Station. The new system will have seven times the payload capacity of the retired space shuttle and travel greater distances. Unmanned missions are planned in the next few years, while the first human mission is planned for 2021, heading for somewhere past the moon. A decade later, the rocket system will send astronauts to Mars. Over the summer, ATK completed its Critical Design Review with NASA to verify that the five-segment solid rocket booster is on track for an unmanned, first flight of NASA's Space Launch System in 2017. Along with its work on the Space Launch System, ATK is also assisting with components for the Orion module, including a solar array for power. At the beginning of October, ATK successfully completed a static test of the Orion Launch Abort Motor Igniter. The igniter will be part of the unmanned Exploration Flight Test-1, which is scheduled for December in Cape Canaveral, Fla. It plans another test at its Promontory facility in March. While the future of space travel may be moving forward, in the meantime, the companies involved in the rocket explosion can expect a long and thorough investigation. –––– The Associated Press contributed to this story. –––– Contact Jesus Lopez Jr. at 801-625-4239 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @jesuslopezSE and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/JesusLopezSE. ___ (c)2014 Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) Visit the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) at www.standard.net Distributed by MCT Information Services |