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Contact: Barron Beneski, (703) 406-5000, beneski.barron{at}orbital.com

ORBITAL'S PEGASUS ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES ORBVIEW-3 HIGH-
RESOLUTION IMAGING SATELLITE

Orbital-Built OrbView-3 Satellite Operating as Planned Early in the
Mission Mission Was 34th Flight of Air-Launched Pegasus Rocket and
Its 20th Consecutive Success

(Dulles, VA 26 June 2003) - Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB)
announced that earlier today, it successfully launched the
company-built OrbView-3 high-resolution imaging satellite into its
targeted orbit aboard the company's PegasusŪ rocket. The OrbView-3
satellite was accurately delivered into an initial "parking" orbit
and, over the next several weeks, Orbital engineers will command the
satellite to use its onboard propulsion system to reach its final
circular operational orbit of 470 kilometers above the Earth,
inclined at 97 degrees to the equator. Orbital designed, developed,
built and tested the 304-kilogram OrbView-3 satellite for Orbital
Imaging Corporation (ORBIMAGE) at the company's Dulles, Virginia
satellite manufacturing facility.

The powered flight sequence for the OrbView-3 mission took about 10
minutes, from the time the Pegasus rocket was released from its
L-1011 carrier aircraft at approximately 2:55 p.m. (EDT) to the time
that the satellite was deployed into orbit. Preliminary information
indicates that the OrbView-3 satellite is working as planned in the
early stages of its mission. 

"We are very pleased with the results of the Pegasus launch and with
the early indications that the OrbView-3 satellite is operating as
expected," said Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer. "We look forward to delivering a highly-capable
satellite that will allow ORBIMAGE to provide its customers with
world-class imagery products." 

Orbital develops and manufactures small space systems for commercial,
civil government and military customers. The company's primary
products are spacecraft and launch vehicles, including low-orbit,
geostationary and planetary satellites for communications, remote
sensing and scientific missions; ground- and air-launched rockets
that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense boosters that
are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also offers
space-related technical services to government agencies and develops
and builds satellite-based transportation management systems for
public transit agencies and private vehicle fleet operators.

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