Orbital ATK Successfully Concludes 17 Years of EO-1 Mission Support
March 30 2017 - 2:54PM
Business Wire
Earth Observing-1 Satellite Far Exceeds
Design and Mission Life
Significant Milestone Highlights Orbital
ATK’s Superior Record of Reliability and Performance on Earth
Science Satellite Programs
Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense
technologies, today announced it successfully concluded 17 years of
mission support for NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. The
spacecraft, built by Orbital ATK for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was decommissioned under NASA’s
direction on March 30, 2017.
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NASA’s Orbital ATK-built Earth
Observing-1(EO-1) satellite has been decommissioned after 17 years
of successful operation. (Photo: Business Wire)
The EO-1 satellite, launched on November 21, 2000, had an
initial design and mission life of one year, but continued
successful operations for more than 16 years beyond the initial
mission. Orbital ATK served as the mission’s prime contractor,
satellite mission integrator and bus developer. The EO-1 mission
developed and validated a number of instrument and spacecraft bus
breakthrough technologies designed to enable the development of
future earth imaging observatories.
“We are proud to mark this historic occasion with our NASA
partners and celebrate EO-1’s incredible 17 year journey,” said
Frank Culbertson, President of Orbital ATK’s Space Systems Group.
“Serving as one of NASA’s pathfinder Earth satellites, EO-1
delivered thousands of high quality images providing valuable data
for the science community that included scenes from the World Trade
Center attacks, flooding in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and
volcanic eruptions. All of these results validate the cutting edge
satellite and instrument technologies that performed flawlessly and
exceeded mission expectations.”
EO-1, using two major observing instruments, Advanced Land
Imager (ALI) and the Hyperion imaging spectrometer, has provided
over 92,000 images to date consisting of equal amounts of
multispectral and hyperspectral imagery. These instruments allowed
the EO-1 team to acquire high spatial resolution of events and
natural disasters around the world. The Hyperion instrument also
allowed scientists to see chemical constituents of Earth’s surface
in fine detail with hundreds of wavelengths.
EO-1’s science data and research has also been noted in well
over 1,500 related publications further demonstrating the
satellite’s impact on Earth science and technology advancements.
Seven other technologies developed under the NASA New Millennium
Program during the last 1990s were also validated during the first
year of EO-1 mission operations.
Under NASA’s decommissioning process, the mission team will shut
down the satellite effective March 30, 2017, and confirm that the
spacecraft’s final configuration is consistent with the approved
End of Mission plan. NASA estimates the spacecraft will safely
reenter the Earth’s atmosphere in 2056.
As the EO-1 mission concludes, Orbital ATK continues its work as
one of the industry’s leading providers of Earth science
satellites. Dating back more than thirty years, the company’s
satellite fleet—past, present and future—conduct measurements and
collect high quality imagery to help scientists study Earth to
unlock the mysteries of natural disasters and improve weather
forecasts. Current earth science programs in process at Orbital ATK
manufacturing facilities include Joint Polar Satellite System-2
(JPSS-2); Landsat-9; Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2
(ICESat-2); Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS); and
Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON).
About Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense
technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space,
defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both
as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products
include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile
products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons,
armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space
components and services; and advanced aerospace structures.
Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs
approximately 12,500 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in
several international locations. For more information, visit
www.orbitalatk.com.
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Orbital ATKMedia Contact:Vicki Cox, 410-409-8723Space
Systems Group Public Relationsvicki.cox@orbitalatk.comorInvestor
Contact:Barron Beneski, 703-406-5528Public and Investor
Relationsbarron.beneski@orbitalatk.com
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