Orbital Sciences Q1 profit rises

April 19 (Reuters) - Orbital Sciences Corp. (ORB.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which makes small rockets and space systems, reported a higher quarterly profit helped by a ramp-up of contract activity on NASA's Orion human spacecraft program and expansion of commercial satellite manufacturing.

Net income for the first quarter rose to $11.5 million, or 19 cents a share, from $8.8 million, or 14 cents a share in the year-ago quarter, the company said in a statement. (Reporting by Anant Vijay Kala in Bangalore)