Sparks, Nev., January 13, 2014 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) congratulates Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital) on the successful and historic launch and berth of its Cygnus advanced maneuvering spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) for Orbital’s first NASA Cargo Resupply Mission known as CRS-1.
SNC is an integral part of the Orbital Cygnus team to provide the Cygnus Passive Common Berthing Mechanisms (PCBMs) in partnership with Thales Alenia Space of Turin, Italy for integration into the Pressurized Cargo Modules (PCMs) that Thales Alenia is supplying to Orbital.
The PCBM is the berthing mechanism that, when attached to the ISS pressurized element, provides a sealed passageway for movement of cargo between the Cygnus spacecraft and the ISS. SNC successfully built and delivered the PCBMs in its Louisville, Colo., facility for all of the Cygnus missions currently under contract with NASA. The CRS-1 mission is the first of eight missions scheduled to use SNC’s PCBMs.
“The relationship between SNC, Thales Alenia, Orbital and NASA represents the best of commercial, government and international partnerships” said Mark Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC’s Space Systems. “Orbital has again demonstrated its advanced capabilities in delivering quality, reliable and efficient space programs. SNC is proud to be a part of this international commercial space alliance and we look forward to future successful missions of the Cygnus spacecraft.”
In addition to the contract with Thales Alenia, SNC was recently awarded a contract to supply NASA with the same complex PCBM’s which will be the interface for the berthing of the Bigelow Expanded Activity Module (BEAM) to the ISS. BEAM is scheduled to launch in 2015.
About SNC
SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for national security systems across all domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber. As a longstanding leader in defense technology, SNC is at the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It's part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.