ATK Propulsion and Composite Technology Supports Launch of Japan’s H-IIA Rocket

ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE: ATK) said four Solid Strap-on Boosters
(SSB) developed and produced by ATK Thiokol Propulsion, Promontory, Utah,
supported the launch yesterday of a National Space Development Agency of Japan
(NASDA) H-IIA from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

The H-IIA rocket successfully placed the Data Relay Test Satellite (DRTS)
in a geostationary transfer orbit and the Unmanned Space Experiment Recovery
System (USERS) in a low-earth orbit. It was the third successful flight of
the H-IIA launch vehicle and the second consecutive flight supported by four
ATK SSBs.

The SSB is an adaptation of the ATK Thiokol Propulsion CASTOR® IVA-XL
strap-on motor, which measures 40 inches in diameter and 483 inches in length,
and uses a six-degree canted, fixed nozzle.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion was awarded a development contract in 1997 to adapt
the CASTOR IVA-XL motor to the H-IIA vehicle. That was followed by a
production contract in 1998 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Ltd.,
Nagoya Aerospace Systems, Nagoya, Japan, a major contractor for the H-IIA
vehicle.

The H-IIA vehicle currently offers three configurations to compete in the
medium-lift launch vehicle market. The standard H-IIA uses a two-stage liquid
core vehicle with two Solid Rocket Booster (SRB-A) motors produced by IHI
Aerospace of Tomioka, Japan. The two other configurations add two or four SSB
motors. The four-SSB configuration was successfully demonstrated during a
test flight in February 2002.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion also supplies its TCR(TM) composite materials and
technologies to IHI Aerospace, Ltd for the manufacture of the H-IIA SRB-A
motor cases. The company’s rocket motor case and composite technology is
present on all H-IIA configurations.

ATK Thiokol Propulsion is the world’s leading supplier of solid propulsion
rocket motors. The company’s product portfolio comprises a wide range of
first-stage, second stage, and strap-on boosters, including CASTOR IV, CASTOR
120®, GEM, and Orion motors, the Titan IVB Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade
(SRMU), and the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM).

ATK is a $2.1 billion aerospace and defense company with leading positions
in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, and precision capabilities.
The company, which is headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately
11,300 people and has three business groups: Aerospace, Precision Systems, and
Ammunition. ATK news and information can be found on the Internet at
www.atk.com