astronomy

Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Orbital ATK rather than just read about it. In short: Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015, from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK).

Key takeaways

Orbital ATK belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Orbital ATK to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Orbital ATK from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Orbital ATK Inc. was an American aerospace manufacturer and defense industry company. It was formed in February 9, 2015, from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Orbital ATK designed, built, and delivered rocket engines, military vehicles, firearms, autocannons, missiles, ammunition, precision-guided munitions, satellites, missile approach warning systems, launch vehicles and spacecraft. The company was acquired by Northrop Grumman on June 6, 2018. The former Orbital ATK operations were renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and operated as a division until January 1, 2020, when a reorganization merged the operations into the company's other divisions.

History A merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and the defense and aerospace divisions of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was announced on April 29, 2014. The two companies had collaborated on several previous projects, including the use of 400 ATK rocket motors in Orbital's launch vehicles. The deal officially closed on February 9, 2015. ATK's sporting-goods division spun off to form Vista Outdoor on the same day. On September 18, 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$1.4 billion in debt. Orbital ATK shareholders approved the buyout on November 29, 2017. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the acquisition with conditions on June 5, 2018, and on June 6, 2018, Orbital ATK was renamed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. With Northrop Grumman's reorganization of its divisions effective January 1, 2020, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems was split, with most of the sector merging with other Northrop Grumman businesses into a new Space Systems sector.

Organization

Flight Systems Group Based in Chandler, Arizona, the Flight Systems Group includes the Pegasus, Minotaur, and Antares launch vehicles as well as solid-propulsion and aerostructures programs. The company also operates a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar wide body jetliner, which is named Stargazer and is used to air launch Pegasus rockets carrying payloads into space. The Stargazer aircraft is also used for testing under specific programs. The Flight Systems Group became part of Northrop Grumman Space Systems on January 1, 2020.

Defense Systems Group The Defense Systems Group, based in the Baltimore, Maryland area, produces tactical missiles, defense electronics, and medium- and large-caliber ammunition. The division also produces fuzing and warheads for both tactical missiles and munitions; precision metal and composite structures for medium and large-caliber ammunition, military aircraft, ground vehicles, and missile systems; load, assembly, and pack (LAP) of medium caliber munitions; and propellants and powders for the canister and commercial markets. The Defense Systems Group became part of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems on January 1, 2020.

Space Systems Group Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group provides satellites for commercial, scientific, and security purposes. This group also produces the Cygnus spacecraft, which delivers cargo to the International Space Station. The group was based at the company's headquarters on Warp Drive in Dulles, Virginia.

Products

Rockets

Antares, two- or three-stage medium-lift expendable launch vehicle Minotaur I, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle Minotaur IV, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle Minotaur V, five-stage launch vehicle used for geosynchronous transfer orbits and trans-lunar orbits Minotaur VI, five-stage medium-lift expendable launch vehicle Minotaur-C, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle Pegasus, air-launched four-stage small-lift launch vehicle OmegA, A cancelled medium to heavy lift launch vehicle.

Rocket engines

GEM-40, solid rocket booster used on the Delta II rocket GEM-60, solid rocket booster used on the Delta IV rocket GEM-63, solid rocket booster used on the Atlas V rocket GEM-63XL, solid rocket booster used on the Vulcan rocket Castor 4, solid rocket used on the Maxus sounding rocket Castor 30, solid rocket used on the Antares rocket Castor 120, solid rocket used on the Minotaur-C rocket Space Launch System Solid Rocket Booster, based on the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

Spacecraft

Al Yah 3, communications satellite for Al Yah Satellite Communications HYLAS-4, communications satellite for Avanti Communications SES-16, communications satellite for SES S.A. Landsat 9, environmental satellite for NASA and United States Geological Survey (USGS) JPSS-2, weather and environmental satellite for NASA and NOAA ICESat-2, ice-topography satellite for NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), space telescope for NASA Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICE), science mission for NASA Cygnus, automated cargo spacecraft to supply the ISS Dawn, space probe for NASA currently in decaying orbit around Ceres

Munitions Mk310 PABM-T air burst rounds for MK44.

Firearms XM25 CDTE, an airburst grenade launcher.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Orbital ATK

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Orbital ATK claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Orbital ATK before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Orbital ATK ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Orbital ATK

In research: Orbital ATK appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Orbital ATK in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Orbital ATK is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2015 establishments in Virginia, 2018 mergers and acquisitions, American companies established in 2015, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Orbital ATK outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Orbital ATK in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Orbital ATK means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Orbital ATK out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Orbital ATK in simple terms?

Why does Orbital ATK matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Orbital ATK?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Orbital ATK.