Orbital Sciences Corp. is purchasing the Gilbert, Ariz., satellite manufacturing unit owned by General Dynamics, considered by some to be one of the most modern and capable such facilities in the world.

Formerly called Spectrum Astro and now called General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, the facility once specialized in small satellites but has, under the management of General Dynamics, stepped up to develop a medium-class satellite platform.

This gives the company “quick entry into a mid-class satellite that serves and is optimized for the government customer,” says Barron Beneski, an Orbital Sciences spokesman.

In a teleconference March 5 discussing the deal, Orbital Chairman and CEO David Thompson said that in the end, the new products being added to or created from the acquisition should more than double Orbital’s addressable market over the next few years. He further said the deal, which could close by April, should be accretive to Orbital’s bottom line as early as this year, bringing in $50 million in revenue.

According to an Orbital statement, over the last 20 years the General Dynamics unit has developed and built 15 small- and medium-class satellites for the U.S. Air Force, NASA, Navy, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and other unidentified government and commercial customers. These include such recently-launched spacecraft as the Fermi/GLAST astronomy satellite for NASA, the C/NOFS space weather satellite for the Air Force, the GeoEye-1 commercial imaging satellite for GeoEye, and the NFIRE experimental satellite for MDA.

- Michael Bruno (michael_bruno@aviationweek.com) and Amy Butler (abutler@aviationweek.com)

Artist's concept of GeoEye-1: GeoEye