When Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences Corp. opens its assembly, test and launch facility for the Taurus II rocket program at the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility using the FAA commercial licensed Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, the Delmarva peninsula economies of both Virginia and Maryland will benefit. The $45-million project will create about 125 new jobs. Although the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island is in Accomack County, Virginia, about 35 percent of Wallops employees are Eastern Shore Maryland residents. Orbital's announcement ensures that Maryland will continue to be a global leader in the development of the next generation of cutting-edge technologies," said Gov. Martin O'Malley, adding "This new facility will help generate jobs in the Eastern Shore, building on the brainpower and skills of our people to create greater opportunities and advance the cause of science."
"We are very glad to hear that Orbital has chosen to use NASA's Wallops Flight Facility for testing its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services system," said Ron Wolf, chairman of the Accomack Board of Supervisors in Virginia. "We support our businesses here in Accomack and will do everything in our power to welcome Orbital to our community. [We] will work hard to help it grow and succeed."
The Taurus II will be the launch vehicle for a NASA [COTS] and Orbital cargo delivery demonstration mission to the International Space Station. If NASA selects Orbital for the cargo missions, those missions would also originate from MARS starting in 2011.
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