Stockton plays part in spacecraft business
Contra Costa Times
Applied Aerospace Structures Corp. of Stockton has contracts to manufacturer aluminum-and-graphite nose cones and packing components for a new type of space vehicle being developed to rocket cargo into orbit — from new satellites to supplies for the international space station.
The contracts are with Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., which has nearly $2.1 billion in NASA contracts to develop the Taurus II missile and cargo-delivery system and deliver nine vehicles.
The Taurus II is a two-stage launch vehicle with the ability to send up to six tons into Earth orbit. It’s being developed as a lower-cost way to get cargo into space, said Patrick Hart, director of business development for Applied Aerospace….
Orbital Sciences spokesman Barron Beneski said cargo protected by the Applied Aerospace components will be delivered by a small Cygnus spacecraft, which travels along with the cargo and has an independent propulsion system. The Cygnus — Latin for “swan” — can deliver more than 5,000 pounds of supplies to the space station.
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