Orbital ATK Inc., a manufacturer of space, defense, and aviation systems, has announced that its Iuka, Miss., manufacturing plant has produced its 500th large composite rocket structure for United Launch Alliance (ULA) launch vehicles, a 50-50 joint venture between Lockheed Martin and The Boeing Company formed in 2006 to provide reliable, cost-efficient access to space for U.S. government missions.
Since its establishment in 1998, the Large Structure Center of Excellence manufacturing plant has produced 68 Atlas V, 28 Delta II, and 404 Delta IV large composite structures across 106 ULA launches. The 500th structure is a boat tail manufactured for a ULA Atlas V launch vehicle.
The large composite structures produced at the facility measure 4 to 5 m dia. and 1 to 19 m long. The facility uses advanced hand layup, fiber placement, machining, and inspection techniques for production. The 320,000-sq.-ft. plant houses one of the largest autoclaves in the world, measuring 20 ft. dia by 83 ft. long.
