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MDA Selects Orbital Booster for GMD Program
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has selected defense contractor Orbital Sciences to provide the missile interceptor booster rockets for an initial deployment of 10 Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptors by October 2004, the Defense Department announced Friday (see GSN, Oct. 24). MDA has decided to use the “proven boost vehicle” developed by Orbital because of manufacturing accidents that occurred earlier this year at a missile propellant mixing facility in California, the Pentagon said (see GSN, Aug. 14). A competing booster being developed by defense contractor Lockheed Martin used propellant prepared at the facility. As a result of the accidents, MDA will use the Orbital booster to ensure that 10 ground-based interceptors are deployed on schedule at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Pentagon said. MDA has also decided to use at least four Orbital boosters for planned GMD flight tests, according to the Pentagon. Two integrated flight tests using the Orbital booster are scheduled to be conducted from the Kwajalein Atoll early next year. Lockheed Martin is scheduled to conduct a flight test of its booster from Vandenberg Air Force Base later this year. Despite the decision, “MDA remains committed to a dual-booster strategy,” the Pentagon said in a press release. In addition, the accidents at the propellant mixing facility affected several additional missile defense programs, including the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a ground-based interceptor currently begin developed for the Army and the Standard Missile 3 sea-based interceptor. MDA has determined that the first THAAD intercept test scheduled for 2005 will be unaffected, but there could be a delay of a few months for the first THAAD flight test, scheduled to be held next year (U.S. Defense Department release, Nov. 7).
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