Image: Orbital Sciences

With a few decades of space launch experience already under its belt, the Orbital Sciences Corporation is next up to demonstrate cargo delivery capabilities to the International Space Station.

With so much attention focused on SpaceXs successful demonstration flight last month, it might be easy to forget Elon Musks company is just one of two receiving investments from NASA as part of its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to deliver cargo to the ISS. And unlike upstart SpaceX, the other company in the COTS program is a veteran of the commercial space industry.

Orbital Sciences Corporation is a 30-year-old firm with more than 60 launches to space using its own rockets, and more than 125 satellites delivered to orbit. The company was founded in 1982 by a trio of Harvard Business School friends who thought a commercial company could provide space products and launch services in a much more affordable way than what was available at the time. After raising the cash, Orbital began work on its first space launch vehicle in the mid-1980s, and by 1990 the company had eight successful launches under its belt.

COTS is exactly what the company was founded to do, says Orbital spokesman Barry Beneski.

Roughly a third of the companys $1.5 billion revenue this year will come from civil government contracts, including the NASA COTS development program and the Commercial Resupply Services contracts to deliver cargo to the ISS. Beneski says a little less than a third of the companys business comes from commercial customers, mainly communication satellite companies, while the rest of the business is comprised of military and intelligence customers.

Were not a new space company, Beneski told Wired, emphasizing Orbitals history of building and launching satellites.

Orbital fills a gap between some of the big veteran companies in the space industry, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and the newer firms, such as SpaceX and the yet-to-fly-to-space Blue Origin. Were big enough to take on big challenges and have the experience to back it up, Beneski says, touting Orbitals capabilities.

An artist rendition of the Cygnus spacecraft approaching the International Space Station. Image: Orbital Sciences

It would be easy to understand if Orbital felt a bit ignored in all the recent news about private companies getting involved with delivering cargo to the space station, and Beneski says there was a bit of we do that too. But he says the company is simply ready to show it has the expertise to build upon its launch experience and deliver cargo to the ISS. Were confident and were ready to show [our capabilities] later this year.

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Veteran Space Company Orbital Sciences Ready for ISS