Buoyed by Airfares Success, Orbital Pursues Commercial Contracts

摘要

satellite and rocket hardware manufacturer Orbital Sciences on Oct. 17 said that its new Antares rocket's success in its first two NASA-funded demonstration flights has begun to draw interest from commercial and non-NASA government customers. In a conference call with investors, Orbital Chief Executive David W. Thompson said the company is already chasing one commercial customer for a one- or two-launch contract to be conducted starting in 2016. Thompson did not identify the customer or the type of orbit, but said Orbital would be submitting a contract proposal in the coming weeks. A contract decision is likely in the first three months of 2014, he said.