PARIS, June 16 /PRNewswire/ --

PARIS AIR SHOW -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced today that two
launch abort system (LAS) motors for NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle
are now in place at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico for integration and
preparation for the first flight test, known as Pad Abort 1.

Lockheed Martin and NASA have planned a series of ground and flight tests
for the launch abort system over the next few years leading up to Orion's
first crewed flight to the International Space Station scheduled for 2015.

As the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion Project, Lockheed Martin is
responsible for designing and building this advanced-technology spacecraft
that will have more flexible space exploration capability than any previous
human space flight vehicle. The launch abort system that sits atop Orion is a
complex system designed to activate within milliseconds in the event of an
emergency on the launch pad or during initial ascent phase.

"Crew safety is of utmost importance in our vehicle design, so we have
devoted considerable thought and effort into the development of this
innovative launch abort system," said Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin vice
president and Orion Program manager. "As we prepare for the Preliminary
Design Review in August, we continue to enhance the vehicle's safety and life
support system designs to ensure we move forward to build the safest and most
reliable spacecraft possible."

The launch abort system consists of three motors: the abort motor that
fires nearly 500,000 pounds of thrust to pull the crew module up and away
from the launch vehicle; the attitude control motor that exerts up to 7,000
pounds of steering force to reorient the vehicle's position; and the jettison
motor that separates the crew module from the launch abort system so that
parachutes can be deployed for a safe landing. The jettison motor is the only
motor that will be activated on all nominal Orion missions to separate the
spacecraft from the launch abort system assembly shortly after second stage
activation.

The system is required to provide a launch abort capability from
the launch pad after crew module hatch closure through orbital insertion.
Several mission abort modes are required to provide abort coverage extending
from the launch pad until Orion achieves a sustainable orbit.

The LAS aborts, referred to as Mode I aborts, are the most viable
option until the LAS is nominally jettisoned early in second stage. These
aborts may be commanded via the ground-based health management system, the
on-board Orion Abort Decision Logic, the crew, or ground personnel.

Mode II aborts, or Untargeted Abort Splashdown aborts, do not
utilize the LAS. Instead, the crew launch vehicle upper stage engine is shut
down and the Orion service module's reaction control system is used to
provide adequate clearance between the launch vehicle and Orion. The crew
module then separates from the service module so it can be maneuvered for a
guided re-entry, and descends using parachutes to a safe landing location.

Mode III aborts, commonly known as Targeted Abort Landings, are
triggered by late second stage failures during which Orion's trajectory is
modified via a targeted service module main engine burn followed by a crew
module guided entry to a target landing site.

The last type of abort -- Mode IV -- is called Abort to Orbit. In
this situation, an abort is performed following a premature shutdown of the
upper stage when the Orion service module has sufficient capability to
achieve a safe orbit insertion and de-orbit burn.

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) is responsible for integrating
the LAS propulsion stack, which consists of three separate motors. Alliant
Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) supplies the LAS' launch abort and attitude control
motors, and Aerojet, a GenCorp company (NYSE: GY), supplies the escape
system's jettison motor.

The Lockheed Martin Orion Project office is based in Houston, Texas, near
NASA's Johnson Space Center. The team includes major subcontractors Aerojet,
Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, Orbital Sciences Corporation and United Space
Alliance; and a network of 60 minor subcontractors and small businesses in 22
states across the United States.

Lockheed Martin is working closely with NASA to develop the Orion
spacecraft, the flagship of the Constellation Program's plan to return humans
to the moon and prepare for future voyages to other destinations in our solar
system. The Orion LAS program is managed by NASA's Langley Research Center
with support from Marshall Space Flight Center.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security
company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally
engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The
corporation reported 2008 sales of US$42.7 billion.

Media Contacts: Stephen Tatum, +1-408-742-7531; e-mail,
                         Stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com
         Chip Manor, +1-408-242-4046; e-mail, Charles.manor@lmco.com



Low- and high-resolution JPEG image files of Orion are available at:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/Orion/OrionToolKit/orionimages.html