The scientific mission is being conducted under the direction of Principal Investigator Dr. Gary Rottman of the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. It is also part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ongoing Earth Observation System (EOS) program, for which Orbital is already building another NASA satellite known as ACRIMSAT.

The design, manufacturing and test processes for the SOLSTICE/SAVE satellite are planned to be completed in 2002. The satellite is scheduled to be launched aboard Orbital's Pegasus rocket, although a launch contract has not yet been awarded to the company.

"We are delighted that we were selected to build the SOLSTICE/SAVE spacecraft, which will use many of the same advanced technologies that we are currently employing for the OrbView-4 high-resolution imaging satellite we are building for ORBIMAGE," said Mr. Robert R. Lovell, Orbital's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Space Systems Group.

Orbital's Space Systems Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of advanced small- and medium-class satellites, specializing in lightweight, cost-effective space systems. The company designs and builds satellites for virtually every type of commercial and government space application.

Orbital's satellites are used in a wide variety of missions, such as for the ORBCOMM 28-satellite data communications network, the world's second-largest commercial satellite system, as well as for scientific missions under NASA's Small and Mid-class Explorer programs, for commercial Earth imaging missions, such as ORBIMAGE's family of satellites and Canada's Radarsat-2 program, and for direct-to-home television broadcast systems that use larger, geosynchronous orbit satellites for international commercial customers, such as Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation.