Orbital Sciences Backs Obama Space Plan

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced Wednesday the company’s strong support for the Obama Administration’s new direction for the country’s civil space programs, as outlined in the recently-released GFY 2011 proposed budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“In its first time at bat, the Obama Administration hit the ball out of the park in setting this new direction for NASA,” commented David W. Thompson, Orbital’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from the commercial space launch firm's Virginia headquaters. “As a commercial partner to the space agency for over 25 years, Orbital is very excited about this new course for America’s civil space program,” citing four areas in particular:

• Extension of U.S. participation in the International Space Station (ISS) program until at least 2020, with a more aggressive program of scientific research and utilization to be carried out at the multi-national orbital facility;

• Strengthening of NASA’s current initiatives in commercial cargo delivery to the ISS, together with exciting new partnerships with private industry to develop and operate commercial astronaut transportation systems for low-orbit missions;

• Increased funding for Earth and space science programs, with special emphasis on accelerated and expanded climate change research missions; and

• Enhanced R&D investments by the space agency in new launch vehicle propulsion and in-space operations technologies and related robotic precursor missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and other deep-space destinations.