Sierra Nevada Corporation Completes Acquisition of Orbital Technologies Corporation

Louisville, Colo., July 11, 2014--Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces it completed the acquisition of Orbital Technologies Corporation (Orbitec), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company will continue its operations in Madison, while supporting SNC’s Space Systems in Louisville, Colorado.

The acquisition comes as the result of the previous successful working relationship between the two firms. The combined capabilities and products of SNC’s Space Systems and Orbitec provide SNC’s customers with a comprehensive set of green space propulsion technology options with both hybrid solid/liquid and bipropellant liquid rocket motors, according to a company statement.

As previously announced by SNC, the Orbitec acquisition extends SNC’s subsystems portfolio to include Environmental Control Life Support Subsystems (ECLSS) and advanced thermal management for human spaceflight vehicles and orbiting habitats. The excellent performance characteristics and value of Orbitec’s ECLSS and Reaction Control Subsystem (RCS) technology made these the clear choice for SNC’s Dream Chaser winged Commercial Crew Transport for the International Space Station. SNC is committed to continuing Orbitec’s excellent relationships with its government and commercial customers.

Orbitec’s decades of experience in strong liquid rocket propulsion systems, human spaceflight life support and thermal systems, automated life science systems, and fire suppression systems portfolio will provide substantial enhancements to SNC’s Space Systems’ broad product line,” said Mark N. Sirangelo, corporate vice president of SNC Space Systems.

Orbitec started in Wisconsin as a 3-person company. Over the past 26 years Orbitec has leveraged the great intellectual and resource capacity in Wisconsin. The company recently added over 30 high tech jobs to the state. “Orbitec will continue to expand its capabilities to deliver the next generation of products with improved viability and efficiency, meeting and ensuring customer satisfaction in challenging and cost-sensitive markets,” said Tom Crabb, chief operations officer of Orbitec. “We know that the State of Wisconsin has a significant heritage in aerospace. Orbitec is committed to expanding Wisconsin’s valuable high tech economy that could potentially include becoming a launch or landing state for the Dream Chaser,” said Crabb. Crabb will continue to lead and manage Orbitec, as an SNC subsidiary.

SNC Space Systems provides components and subsystems to space contractors, including gimbal mechanisms, power subsystems, solar array drives, release mechanisms, integrated solar panel assemblies and flight control actuators.