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Цитата: undefinedAerojet's confidence in Next Generation Engine and green propellants
February 6th, 2012 by Chris Bergin

Californian aerospace company Aerojet believe they are in a good position to continue their advancements in the development of rocket engines, ranging fr om the Next Generation Engine (NGE) for the US Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, through to environmentally "green" propellants for propulsion hardware.

Aerojet Engine Development:

While Aerojet are already involved in a wide range of propulsive requirements for launch vehicles and spacecraft, work is already well under way for their effort to become the provider of the Next Generation Engine (NGE), a process started via the Air Force's Request For Information (RFI) over a year ago.

The RFI noted it was seeking an Upper Stage engine utilizing modern design and manufacturing methods, while it would be expected that the new engine will demonstrate state-of-the-art operating margin and reliability and minimize life-cycle costs, with an aim of replacing the RL-10 – which is used in various forms with Atlas' Centaur Upper Stage (RL-10A-3) and Delta IV's Upper Stage (RL-10B-2).

Aerojet recently noted they had successfully completed a major milestone in the development of a ground demonstrator for the Next Generation Engine (NGE) program, announcing the completion of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the turbopump assembly.

The engine under development – which is yet to receive a name – would not be restricted to just US Air Force/EELV use, according to Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet Vice President, Space & Launch System speaking in an interview with NASASpaceflight.com.

"For now we are assuming the RL-10 engine requirements with additional consideration of the requirements put forth in the AF September 2010 RFI. (Next Generation Engine (NGE) Request for Information; Solicitation Number: SMC10-55; Agency: Department of the Air Force; Office: Air Force Space Command; Location: SMC – Space and Missile Systems Center).

"We do believe this engine can serve future civil as well as Air Force needs."

Aerojet – who previously noted it has been decades since there has been an open engine competition in the United States – added they are unable to compare their new engine to an RL-10 derivative at this stage. However, they are confident they can present their NGE as a major step forward.

"We don't know many specifics about RL-10 derivatives since little has been made public. Aerojet believes that our offering for NGE will make major improvements over the current RL-10 in cost and reliability and have equal or greater performance depending on configuration," added Ms Van Kleeck.

The Californian-based company are involved in a number of future engine projects, not least the advanced booster for the Space Launch System (SLS), but also in the field of environmentally "green" engines.

With experience in working with Hydroxylammonium nitrate or hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN) powered engines for uncrewed spacecraft, Aerojet noted they are also working on a nitrous-ethanol bipropellant system for Human Space Flight applications.

"While Aerojet has been developing HAN-based monopropellants for a wide range of applications since 1990, Human Spaceflight is not a current focus for this effort. For HSF, our current green propulsion focus is a nitrous-ethanol bipropellant system," noted Ms Van Kleeck.

It has been publicly known that HAN is being developed as a potential propellant for launch vehicles, both in the solid form as a solid propellant oxidizer, and in the aqueous solution in monopropellant rockets.

According to technical papers – such as those associated with the US Department of Energy – it is typically bonded with glycidyl azide polymer (GAP), Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), or carboxy-terminated polybutadiene (CTPB). The catalyst is a noble metal, similar to the other monopropellants that use silver or palladium.

"For the HAN-monopropellant systems we are currently focused on robotic spacecraft and defense applications," Ms Van Kleeck continued. "Aerojet has successfully tested HAN thrusters from 0.2 lbf up to 150 lbf and has found no lim itations to developing even higher thrust engines. When developing new, green propellants, one needs to consider both environmental and safety issues.

"For HSF, if green monopropellants become attractive, Aerojet believes that HAN is the leading green monopropellant candidate if you consider all of the safety and handling issues."

As aforementioned, Ms Van Kleeck noted that Aerojet place a large amount of consideration on both the environmental and safety elements of their advanced propellants, not least their impact on humans, but also for the atmosphere of Mars.

"Aerojet has developed both monopropellant and bipropellant liquid rocket engines that utilize environmentally friendly propellants. Our monopropellant efforts include HAN based engines and Nitrous Oxide based engines. In the bipropellant arena, we have developed Nitrous-Ethanol, LOX/Methane, LOX/Hydrogen and LOX/Ethanol engines," added Ms Van Kleeck.

"For interplanetary missions to Mars, NASA has chosen Aerojet's monopropellant hydrazine thrusters for both cruise and landing for all Mars landers to date for the simple reason that hydrazine (N2H4) does not contain carbon.

"For all advanced propellants, both environmental and safety considerations are very important, and our selections are based on a balance of both of these critical factors. Insofar as toxicity to humans, we have done extensive work on our selected propellants and have found that they meet our requirements.

"Just as important, extensive testing has shown that our propellants are the safest to handle and use in typical test and operational settings."

ЦитироватьВ память почившей в бозе темы:
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Цитироватьinstml пишет:

NASA's Goddard, Glenn Centers Look to Lift Space Astronomy out of the Fog
03.12.12

ЦитироватьA fogbank is the least useful location for a telescope, yet today's space observatories effectively operate inside one. That's because Venus, Earth and Mars orbit within a vast dust cloud produced by comets and occasional collisions among asteroids. After the sun, this so-called zodiacal cloud is the solar system's most luminous feature, and its light has interfered with infrared, optical and ultraviolet observations made by every astronomical space mission to date.

"To put it simply, it has never been night for space astronomers," said Matthew Greenhouse, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Light fr om zodiacal dust can be a thousand times brighter than the sources astronomers actually target, limiting sensitivity in much the same way that bright moonlight hampers ground-based observatories. The dust and its unwanted illumination are greatest in the plane of Earth's orbit, the same plane in which every space telescope operates.

Placing future astronomy missions on more tilted orbits would let spacecraft spend significant amounts of time above and below the thickest dust and thereby reduce its impact on observations. So Greenhouse teamed with Scott Benson at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to investigate how these "dark sky" or extra-zodiacal orbits might improve mission science and to develop a means of cost-effectively reaching them.

"Just by placing a space telescope on these inclined orbits, we can improve its sensitivity by a factor of two in the near-ultraviolet and by 13 times in the infrared," Greenhouse explained. "That's a breakthrough in science capability with absolutely no increase in the size of the telescope's mirror."

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/23308.jpg)
The Extra-Zodiacal Explorer (EZE) mission concept includes launch on a Falcon 9 rocket and a new solar-electric-propulsion upper stage that will enable realization of joint goals for NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist and Science Mission Directorate, with wide applicability across astrophysics and planetary science disciplines. The transfer stage would use NEXT ion engines powered by disk-shaped UltraFlex solar panels. (Image credit: NASA Goddard)

Greenhouse, Benson and the COllaborative Modeling and Parametric Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) study team at NASA Glenn designed a mission that utilizes new developments in solar arrays, electric propulsion and lower-cost expendable launch vehicles. Their proof-of-concept mission is the Extra-Zodiacal Explorer (EZE), a 1,500-pound EX-class observatory that could accommodate a telescope in the size range of the recently completed WISE mission — all within the cost and schedule constraints of NASA's Explorer Program.

Launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, EZE would use a powerful new solar-electric drive as an upper stage to direct the spacecraft on a gravity-assist maneuver past Earth or Mars. This flyby would redirect the mission into an orbit inclined by as much as 30 degrees to Earth's.

The result, the scientists say, will be the highest-performance observatory ever achieved in the decades-long history of NASA's Explorer program.

"We see EZE as a game-changer, the first step on a new path for NASA Explorers that will yield major science goals despite lim ited resources," said Benson, who previously managed the new electric propulsion technology project.

Named NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), the engine is an improved type of ion drive. Using electric power supplied by solar panels, the NEXT engines operate by removing electrons from atoms of xenon gas, then accelerating the charged ions through an electric field to create thrust. While these types of engine provide much less thrust at any given time than traditional chemical rockets, they are much more fuel efficient and can operate for years.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/23302.jpg)
A NEXT engine fires at full power in a test chamber at NASA's Glenn Research Center. At the time the image was taken, in December 2009, the thruster had operated continuously for more than 25,000 hours; it has now run for more than 40,000 hours. (Image credit: NASA Glenn)

Built by Aerojet, an aerospace company based in Sacramento, Calif., each 6.9-kilowatt NEXT engine delivers two and a half times the thrust of the NSTAR ion engines now flying on NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

"We've run one NEXT thruster for over 40,000 hours in ground testing, more than twice the thruster operating lifetime needed to deliver the EZE spacecraft to its extra-zodiacal orbit," Benson explained. "This is mature technology that will enable much more cost-effective space missions across both the astrophysics and planetary science disciplines."

http://youtu.be/6DeZBcQfbxE (http://youtu.be/6DeZBcQfbxE)
 This sped-up video shows a test of a NEXT gimbal at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in October 2006. The gimbal's job is to raise the thruster out of its launch position and then point it to the direction commanded by a spacecraft. The gimbal moves the NEXT engine through the full range of thrust positions it can achieve. (Video credit: NASA JPL)

"Development of this solar-electric upper stage for Falcon 9, which the Goddard/Glenn EZE team is advocating, will make extra-zodiacal orbits available to any astronomer proposing to NASA's Explorer program. This will enable unprecedented science capability for astrophysics Explorers," Greenhouse said.

The EZE upper stage would carry two NEXT engines, their xenon gas propellant and two 18-foot-wide UltraFlex solar arrays built by Alliant Techsystems in Goleta, Calif. These arrays, which were originally developed for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, would see their first deep-space application with EZE. Once the spacecraft achieves the desired orbit, the transfer stage would separate and the science mission would begin.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/23303.jpg)
Technicians at NASA's Glenn Research Center check out a prototype NEXT engine on Jan. 20, 2006, following its delivery by the thruster contractor, Aerojet Corp. (Image credit: NASA Glenn)

The Goddard/Glenn study also showed that the EZE mission concept could be the lowest-cost option for a planned flight demonstration of a high-power solar-electric propulsion stage. A standardized solar-electric upper stage for the Falcon 9 that can be used by any mission will set the small-payload Explorer program on a new path to achieve science goals that rival the capability of larger, more expensive systems.

"Undertaking a project like this will provide key flight experience toward developing the higher-power systems needed to enable NASA's human exploration objectives in deep space while providing immediate scientific return on the investment," Greenhouse added.

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/about-next.html

ЦитироватьНедавно был очередной мор на форуме. :(

ЦитироватьOrbital Antares Team Conducts Another AJ26 Engine Test

June 2012

The Orbital, Aerojet and NASA team conducted a successful test at the NASA Stennis Space Center in a firing of an AJ26 engine that had undergone hot fire testing previously. Among several objectives, the test allowed the team to collect additional engine data in advance of the planned Antares stage one hot fire test planned for later this summer at the Wallops Island, VA launch site in which the entire stage one core, with two AJ 26 engines, will be test fired. (NASA photo)[/size:ccb64b6b4d]
 
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US Senator Mikulski Tours Wallops Island Facilities

June 2012

Orbital personnel supported a visit by Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland on Monday, June 25, who was at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility during a oversight tour of the facility Sen. Mikulski toured the launch pad, which is fully built and is being certified as safe and fully functional by a team of NASA, Orbital and Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) representatives and was briefed on the progress being made toward completing the certification of the launch complex from which Orbital's cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station will originate. MARS is responsible for the construction and operation of the launch pad complex.

Orbital also briefed the Senator on the company's preparedness for carrying out a test launch of the Antares rocket and the demonstration cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station in the third and fourth quarters of 2012, respectively. These flight milestones will be the culmination of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) joint research and development program that was initiated between NASA and Orbital in late 2008. (NASA photo)

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ЦитироватьMon, 9 July, 2012
MSFC Director Goldman Leaving NASA for Aerojet
By Dan Leone

WASHINGTON — Arthur "Gene" Goldman is leaving his post as director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala., to become head of Southeast Space Operations for Aerojet effective Aug. 6, the Sacramento, Calif., rocket-engine maker said.

Aerojet announced Goldman's hiring in a July 9 press release. A NASA press release said Goldman will leave the agency Aug. 3.

Robin Henderson, Marshall's associate director, will succeed Goldman as director, NASA said in its release. Goldman had been with NASA since 1990. He joined the agency as a project engineer in Marshall's space shuttle project integration office.

Goldman has been running Marshall since early March when then-director Robert Lightfoot left Huntsville for Washington to become NASA's associate administrator, the agency's highest ranking civil servant position.

The Marshall Space Flight Center has had a leading role in NASA rocket development since the beginning of the U.S. space program. It is currently managing design and development of the Space Launch System (SLS), the congressionally mandated heavy-lift rocket NASA plans to use for launching astronauts beyond Earth orbit.

Aerojet has been pushing for a bigger role in the SLS program. Last year, the company announced it was partnering with Huntsville-based Teledyne Brown to build liquid-rocket engines for customers including NASA.

NASA has so far announced two SLS flights, one in 2017 and one in 2021. In these missions, SLS will send the Lockheed Martin-built Orion capsule around the Moon and back. Only the second flight will be crewed. The SLS variant that will fly these missions will use existing hardware: five-segment solid boosters developed by Alliant Techsystems for the canceled Constellation program and leftover space shuttle main engines made by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

Subsequent SLS configurations will require new boosters and more space shuttle main engines — SLS will not reuse its core engines. Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet's vice president of space and launch systems, has said that Aerojet wants to provide both of these propulsion systems.

ЦитироватьNASA, Air Force Haggle Over Cost Sharing on New Engine (http://www.parabolicarc.com/2012/11/01/nasa-air-force-haggle-over-cost-sharing-on-new-engine/)

Posted by Doug Messier (http://www.parabolicarc.com/author/doug/)
on November 1, 2012, at 6:19 am
 in News (http://www.parabolicarc.com/category/news/)

 Space News reports on the progress of a program that could lead to a replacement for Atlas V's Russian-supplied first stage engine:
 

ЦитироватьNegotiations on a proposal in which NASA and the U.S. Air Force would jointly fund an Aerojet-led propulsion project that could pave the way for a U.S. alternative to the Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine are bogged down over cost sharing issues, according to government and industry officials.
The impasse centers on how much funding the Air Force would provide for tests Aerojet has proposed as part of a program aimed at upgrading NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) crew and cargo rocket. Aerojet is one of four companies NASA sel ected in July to work on liquid- and solid-fueled booster concepts meant to improve SLS's lift capacity and affordability.
When it debuts in 2017, SLS will rely on a pair of five-segment solid-rocket boosters and a cluster of four RS-25 engines — both remnants of the retired space shuttle program — to haul 70 metric tons to orbit. NASA plans to eventually add advanced boosters and a new upper stage to increase SLS's hauling capacity to 130 metric tons.
Having set aside $200 million for a 30-month SLS Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and Risk Reduction effort, NASA announced Oct. 1 that it had signed contracts with Utah-based ATK Launch Systems; Huntsville, Ala.-based Dynetics; and Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. The combined value of the awards is $137.3 million.
Conspicuously absent fr om the mix was Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet, one of the three main U.S. rocket propulsion providers.

ЦитироватьFTC Approves Aerojet-Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Merger
By Mike Gruss | Jun. 11, 2013

WASHINGTON — GenCorp Inc. is free to proceed with its $550 million acquisition of rocket engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne from United Technologies Corp. after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) closed an investigation into whether the transaction would lead to an anti-competitive marketplace.

An FTC investigation had found the merger would give Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet, and its parent company GenCorp., a monopoly in liquid divert and altitude control systems, or LDACS, which are used for missile defense interceptors. Such an arrangement could lead to higher prices for the U.S. Defense Department, the FTC said.

In January, GenCorp said Aerojet planned to divest its LDACS business.

But in a June 6 letter, the Defense Department asked the FTC to allow the merger, claiming it could help space launch requirements and that the divestiture of the LDACS business would be "impossible due to highly unusual national security circumstances."

Citing the Defense Department's position, the FTC announced June 10 it had closed its investigation and would allow the merger to proceed unchallenged.

East Hartford, Conn.-based United Technologies Corp. and Aerojet announced the deal for Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., in July 2012. The merger will create a dominant U.S. supplier of liquid-fueled rocket engines in addition to in-space and missile propulsion systems.

Aerojet also is one of two U.S. suppliers of solid-rocket motors, the other being ATK Aerospace of Magna, Utah.

ЦитироватьAntares First-stage Engines Available Long Term, Aerojet Rocketdyne Chief Says
By Peter B. de Selding | Jun. 17, 2013

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/86987.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne President Warren Boley. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne photo
 
 

Спойлер

LE BOURGET, France — The president of the newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion provider on June 17 said the company has secured an agreement with the manufacturers of Russia's NK-33 engine, which powers the U.S. Antares rocket's first stage in a version called AJ-26, to assure its long-term supply.
At a press briefing here during the Paris Air Show, Warren M. Boley Jr. said Antares prime contractor Orbital Sciences Corp. has only to sign a contract by this fall to assure that deliveries of the new engines can begin in 2016.
Originally developed for the Soviet Union's abandoned lunar program, the liquid oxygen- and kerosene-fueled NK-33 has been out of production since the 1970s. In an undated white paper making the rounds in Washington, Orbital says that after deciding to go with the NK-33/AJ-26 for Antares, the company "learned that the available AJ-26 inventory was more limited than had previously been thought due to technical issues, additional costs to make the engines flightworthy and Russian restrictions."
"The AJ-26 has been out of production for over 40 years and there are a finite and limited number of these engines remaining," the Orbital white paper states. "There are enough of these engines to support Orbital's [international space station] cargo resupply missions currently under contract and a limited number of additional missions. For Orbital to be a viable long-term competitor, it needs a long-term propulsion solution."
The questionable availability of the AJ-26 has been of such concern to Dulles, Va.-based Orbital that the company is asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to void, on antitrust grounds, the agreement that gives rocket maker United Launch Alliance (ULA) exclusive U.S. access to Russia's RD-180 engine. Orbital wants to purchase RD-180 engines, calling them "the only currently viable long-term engine solution" for Antares, which successfully debuted in April.
Boley disagreed. He said Aerojet has reached an agreement with NK-33 manufacturer Kuznetsov Design Bureau to restart motor production once Orbital gives the go-ahead. He did not disclose financial details, but gave the clear impression that the restarted production line, and the refurbishment of the 23 engines already purchased by Aerojet, would not represent an unwieldy spike in investment for Orbital and force the Antares prime contractor to seek the RD-180 as an alternative.
With Aerojet's $550 million acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne now approved by U.S. antitrust regulators, the combined Aerojet Rocketdyne has an interest in both sides of the issue. The combined company is a joint-venture partner, with Energomash of Russia, in RD AMROSS, the company that supplies the RD-180 to ULA for the Atlas 5 rocket.
Boley said he could imagine lots of reasons why ULA would have insisted on an exclusive arrangement with RD AMROSS given ULA's investment in the RD-180. He did not issue an opinion on the arrangement.
But Boley and Aerojet have a much closer understanding of Antares and the AJ-26 engine, which has been a cause of concern at Orbital as a result of corroded parts.
Boley said it is only normal that an engine that was never meant to be stored long term shows signs of corrosion after 40 years.
Boley said 43 NK-33 engines have been procured by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Twenty of them have been made ready for Orbital's initial Antares missions, to deliver cargo to the international space station for NASA. Two AJ-26 engines are needed to power the Antares core stage.
The remaining 23 have not yet been worked on, but making them ready for Antares, Boley said, does not present any financial or technical obstacles that Aerojet has not already encountered with the first 20 engines.
"No one expected they would sit around for 40 years," Boley said, adding that their condition is no worse than should be expected given the storage. "Through an overhaul and repair process we have addressed the corrosion."
Orbital officials were not immediately available for comment June 17.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьParis Air Show 2013. «Аэроджет Рокетдайн» представила гиперзвуковые технологии
 
18 июня 2013 г.
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87010.jpg)
 
«Военный Паритет». Американская компания Aerojet Rocketdyne на прошлой неделе приобрела активы Gencorp, входившей в состав группы United Technologies на сумму 550 млн долл США, сообщает flightglobal.com 17 июня. Президент Aerojet Уоррен Боли (Warren Boley), выступая на Парижской авиакосмической выставке, заявил, что это может приблизить создание ракет с «ультравысокой скоростью полета».
 
К концу этого года компании Boeing и Raytheon с применением сверхзвуковых прямоточных воздушно-реактивных двигателей (СПВРД) создадут ракеты воздушного базирования со скоростью 4М. В конечно итоге будут созданы гиперзвуковые ракеты, способные поражать цели на земле и в воздухе, в том числе уничтожать противокорабельные ракеты, угрожающие американским военным кораблям. Такие ракеты поступят на вооружение каждого американского истребителя, предсказывает Боли. По его мнению, перспективы продаж гиперзвуковых ракет будут просто «лучезарными».
 
«США находятся в точке развития, где скорость либо дополнит или заменит стелс-технологии», говорит Боли, и добавляет, что «скорость 4М это все равно что скорострельный пулемет по отношению к винтовке Винчестера». Перспективы гиперзвуковых технологий были продемонстрированы в полете демонстратора Х-51, что открывает возможности создания авиалайнеров со скоростью полета 6М, о котором так долго мечтали провидцы.
 
Боли уверен, что недолго осталось до того момента, когда авиалайнер потратит всего два часа, чтобы долететь от Парижа до Сиднея. Ракеты со скоростью 4М должны сначала выйти на начальную сверхзвуковую скорость, чтобы затем включить СПВРД, а включение гиперзвукового ПВРД возможно только после достижения скорости 4М. «Это реальная возможность», говорит Боли.
 
Слияние компаний  Aerojet Rocketdyne и Gencorp позволит сэкономить на разработках 1 млрд долл в течение 10 лет, начиная с 2016 года. В перспективе Aerojet Rocketdyne может предложить полный пакет гиперзвуковых технологий для перспективных космических двигателей и ракетных систем ПРО, говорит Боли.
 
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-aerojet-rocketdyne-unveils-hypersonic-scramjet-technology-387240/ (http://www.militaryparitet.com/external/?www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-aerojet-rocketdyne-unveils-hypersonic-scramjet-technology-387240/)

ЦитироватьTwo engine rivals merge into Aerojet Rocketdyne
BY SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 18, 2013
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/81948.gif)
 
 Two commercial suppliers of rocket power in the U.S. have completed their merger and "launched" into business under the new banner Aerojet Rocketydyne, promising the government it will reduce costs.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87021.jpg)
Credit: Pat Corkery/United Launch Alliance

 GenCorp Inc. announced last July it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne from its parent United Technologies Corp. for $550 million. GenCorp, headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., also owns Aerojet. Buying PWR meant the firm would combine the two primary producers of rocket engines in the U.S., with customers including United Launch Alliance and Orbital Sciences.

Спойлер

As part of the acquisition, the new company has pledged to save the government $100 million per year.
"We know that bringing these two companies together we can do that. We are willing to stand up and be counted on that," said Warren Boley, president and CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
PWR produced the venerable RL10 cryogenic upper stage engines for the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 booster fleets, oversaw the U.S. element of the RD-180 first stage program for Atlas, built the RS-68 and RS-68A powerplants for Delta 4, made the RS-27A engines on the Delta 2 and produced the space shuttle main engines for decades. It has been developing the J-2X for NASA's future heavy-lift vehicle.
Retirement of the space shuttle was a hard hit to Rocketdyne, which merged into Pratt & Whitney. The inventory of leftover shuttle main engines are earmarked for use on the Space Launch System mega-rocket in the future.
Aerojet makes the monolithic solid rocket motors for Atlas 5, refurbishes the Soviet-era N-1 moonrocket engines into the AJ-26 for Orbital Sciences' new Antares vehicle, and also produced the Delta 2 second stage engine and a host of maneuvering thrusters across the industry.
The new company will continue to provide the primary products for United Launch Alliance's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles and develop the RL10-C, a common upper stage engine.
Boley said it would be a few more months before Aerojet Rocketdyne receives Russian government approval for assume its new stake in RD AMROSS, which is the U.S. arrangement for selling the RD-180 engine to the Atlas 5 rocket.
"The addition of Rocketdyne almost doubles the size of our company and provides additional growth opportunities as we build upon the complementary capabilities of each legacy company, including their talented people and innovative technologies," said GenCorp President and CEO Scott Seymour.
"Combined, we bring decades of history that launched the first space age and put mission-critical technology into the hands of our warfighters," Seymour continued. "Our vision for the future is a shared one. We have the best workforce in the industry and we are committed to 100% safety and mission success as we continue to deliver performance, drive innovation and create opportunity. We will continue to be a leader in the next space age."
Aerojet Rocketdyne is under contract to deliver 20 of the AJ-26 engines to Orbital Sciences to power the Antares rocket, which successfully made its first test flight in April. It will be used, at least initially, to perform commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station.
Boley said his firm has 43 engines in its possession for refurbishment and modifications to make them flyable on the Antares rocket, with another dozen in Russia. Each launch uses two engines on the main stage.
Built in the 1960s and 1970s, the engines have been in warehouse storage for decades, requiring them to be overhauled before use.
The Russian producer intends to restart manufacturing the engine from scratch, which would extend the availability starting in late 2016. Aerojet has received a contract spelling out the pricing and schedule for the new-production engines, pending Orbital's approval, Boley said.
But Orbital has been looking at the RD-180 as a longer-term option for the Antares as it hopes to gain a footing in the medium-class launch market. That has caused wrangling over the Atlas 5's exclusivity of using the engine and the Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation.
"Should, for whatever reason, (Orbital) want to change engines, not the conversation you are usually having after your first successful launch, but should they chose to change engines there will be options," Boley said.
Once Aerojet Rocketdyne gets its 50 percent stake in RD AMROSS, would the company want to sell the RD-180 to Orbital?
"That needs to be done in the context of what ULA thinks they own, what intellectual property they have. There are other (Russian) products that RD AMROSS has the U.S. marketing rights to that in my opinion makes the Antares vehicle very attractive," Boley said.
"If we stay focused on the customer and respect everyone's intellectual property we're going to be okay."

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ЦитироватьAerojet, Kuznetsov To Restart NK-33 Rocket Motor Production

By Amy Butler abutler@aviationweek.com, Frank Morring, Jr. morring@aviationweek.com
Source: AWIN First

June 18, 2013
Credit: NASA

The newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne is crafting a plan with the Russian Kuznetsov Design Bureau to restart production of the NK-33 rocket engine to assuage concerns from NASA that enough propulsion systems will be available for missions planned to resupply the International Space Station.

Спойлер

NK-33s overhauled by Aerojet, designated the AJ-26, are used to power Orbital Sciences' new Antares medium-lift rocket for upcoming NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions; Orbital also is trying to re-ignite a market for smaller military satellites by offering the Antares as an alterative to building large satellites for use exclusively on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles managed by the United Launch Alliance. NASA is requiring that Orbital use an engine in production to power the Antares, and the NK-33 has long been out of production. Aerojet previously purchased 43 of the NK-33 engines from Kuznetsov to overhaul into AJ-26s as needed for missions.

Under its CRS-1 contract with NASA, Aerojet is overhauling 20 NK-33s for use on Antares. The motors have experienced stress and corrosion, which are addressed through the overhaul process.

At issue is concern from NASA that there may not be enough suitable engines to support CRS-2, which would require 20 more.

NASA, however, has requested that Orbital seek a production source for its Antares propulsion system. Aerojet Rocketdyne President Warren Boley is in talks with Kuznetsov to begin delivering new NK-33s in late 2016, he told reporters during a June 17 roundtable at the Paris air show. The total production rate depends on the demand for Antares, but Boley says it is likely to be at least 4-6 engines annually.

The strategy is to use the new engines for deliveries to Antares and use the remaining 23 engines requiring overhaul as a "buffer" if problems arise in restarting the production process, Boley says.

A signed deal with Orbital is needed in the fall to begin deliveries in late 2016.

Meanwhile, Orbital Sciences could use the Russian RD-180 engine, but it is currently sold exclusively in the American market to the United Launch Alliance for use on the Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.

Sparked by Orbital's complaints, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether ULA's exclusive arrangement with the Russian RD Amross, a U.S.-Russian joint venture crafted for sale of the RD-180, violates U.S. antitrust laws.

Boley says another option for Orbital would be to purchase another product made by RD-180 maker NPO Energomash, such as the RD-191. The RD-191 is the propulsion system used by Russia's Angara rocket.

In a conference call with reporters June 18, Boley said the Russian government has not cleared the new U.S. company for the joint venture with Energomash, calling government approval the "long pole in the tent." He expects approval in the coming months as part of a "second phase of this acquisition."

Kuznetsov is willing to restart the NK-33 line to give Orbital a production source of existing engines for the Antares, he says, so the antitrust issue with ULA on the RD-180 could go away.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьESP Tapped to Supply Thrusters for COSMIC-2
By Warren Ferster | Jun. 21, 2013

WASHINGTON — European Space Propulsion (ESP), a division of U.S. propulsion provider Aerojet Rocketdyne, will supply hydrazine thrusters for six small satellites being built by Britain's Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. for the U.S.-Taiwan COSMIC-2 weather mission, the newly created ESP announced June 21.

The contract, financial terms of which were not disclosed, includes options to equip an additional six satellites, ESP said in a press release. The contract was awarded by Surrey and is the first for ESP of Belfast, Ireland, the press release said.

COSMIC-2 is a planned constellation of 12 satellites that will monitor weather conditions based on atmospheric distortion of GPS navigation signals. The first six satellites are slated to launch in 2015 aboard a demonstration flight on Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s Falcon Heavy rocket, but funding prospects for the second batch of satellites are uncertain.

The ESP thrusters are based on a flight-proven design originally developed by Aerojet Rocket for NASA's Voyager deep-space probes, the press release said.

"ESP represents a new competitive force in the European arena," Aerojet Rocketdyne President Warren M. Boley said in a prepared statement. "It will maintain a strong European identity while leveraging Aerojet Rocketdyne's seven-decade legacy of propulsion performance. International collaboration, which is fundamental to ESP's approach, will lower costs and enhance customer support."

ЦитироватьGreen Fuel Thruster Passes Key Preflight Test

 By Irene Klotz | Jul. 11, 2013
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87395.jpg)
Michael Gazarik, NASA associate administrator for space technology, holds up a model thruster at the GPIM press conference with an inset of the flight demonstration configuration. Credit: NASA photo by Carla Cioffi (main) and Aerojet Rocketdyne image (inset).
 
 A NASA-backed project to demonstrate a safer and more efficient propellant for in-space propulsion is on track for launch in 2015 following a key ground test proving a small rocket thruster could burn the green fuel for about as long as what would be needed for an operational mission.
"We got the data we needed. We're continuing to do a little more testing now, but we're ready for our flight design," said Roger Myers, executive director for advanced propulsion at Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is developing the technology for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., NASA's prime contractor for the Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM).
GPIM is intended to demonstrate an alternative to highly toxic hydrazine that is safer to handle, less expensive and more efficient for use on satellites. Green propellants like AF-M315E have been around for decades but their higher operating temperatures complicate engine operations.
About two years ago, Aerojet developed a new catalyst that resolved the problem, leading NASA to commit about $42 million for the GPIM flight demonstration.
"Up until that time we were talking about 10 seconds of firing timing before the engine would decay," GPIM lead scientist Christopher McLean, with Ball Aerospace, told reporters July 9.
The team recently completed a thruster pulsing test culminating in 11 hours of continuous firing, paving the way for a critical design review before the end of the year.
The flight demonstration will showcase two thrusters — a 1 Newton and a 22 Newton type — that have the largest share of the market. They will be integrated into a Ball Aerospace satellite and launched as a secondary payload aboard a Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon Heavy rocket flying the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program-2 mission. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Directorate told SpaceNews in June that the launch is scheduled for September 2015.
During GPIM's planned 81-day flight, the thrusters will be fired to simulate a spacecraft's typical modes of operation in orbit and during re-entry into the atmosphere.
While NASA and the Air Force are interested in the green fuel technology for their own missions, the real target for GPIM is the commercial market.
"In today's world you can not — and do not — want to load a spacecraft with hydrazine and ship it. The dangers are just too great. You can do that now with this propellant. That really changes the game of how we do spacecraft processing and get it to the launch site," said Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for space technology.
"If you get this stuff on your hands, you wash it off. It's not going to kill you," McLean added. "I wouldn't want to drink it, however, the lethal dose on this is pretty good especially compared to the fuels we've been using."
Tests show the green fuel AF-M315E boost performance by 50 percent over hydrazine and is less expensive, though much of the cost savings would stem from simpler ground processing, storage and handling.
AF-M315E was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, which is a partner in the project.

ЦитироватьDevelopment of U.S. Closed-loop Kerolox Engine Stuck in 2nd Gear

By Dan Leone | Jul. 12, 2013
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87397.jpg)

WASHINGTON — In the past decade and a half, every U.S. agency that operates spacecraft has come to depend on one particular style of Russian-designed, kerosene-fueled rocket engine, made by former Soviet design bureaus and sold to U.S. companies for use on American rockets.
This international supply chain, forged in the late 1990s to bring NPO Energomash's RD-180 to U.S. shores for Lockheed Martin's Atlas 3, has bridged gaps between former Cold War rivals and produced rockets so reliable that the U.S. military buys them in bulk. NASA, likewise, has turned to that engine to launch one-of-a-kind science spacecraft, operational weather satellites and a planned eight cargo delivery missions to the international space station.

Спойлер

The buy-international model works so well that even an executive with the company working on an American alternative to the RD-180 — which has powered 43 flawless space launches since it made its U.S. debut on Lockheed Martin's Atlas 3 rocket in 2000 — does not see much urgency on anyone's part to bring such an engine to market.
"We don't see a good business case for a pure commercial development of one of these engines," Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of space programs at Sacramento, Calif.-based Aerojet Rocketdyne, told SpaceNews in a July 9 phone interview. "Not today."
Nor is the government in a hurry to put up the funds, Van Kleeck said.
But it was, once.
In 2010, the Obama administration said it wanted to make development of a 1 million pound-thrust, closed-loop kerosene-fueled engine a national priority. However, Congress preferred a new rocket based on shuttle-derived systems, and the White House had to compromise.
Thanks to Soviet-era advances in metallurgy and combustion stability, Russian-style closed-loop kerosene engines are the best of the breed for liquid-fueled first stages. They run hotter and more efficiently than the configuration used, for example, by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which in 2006 became the only U.S. company in decades to fly a kerosene-fueled engine it built from scratch.
"The closed-loop combustion cycle is more efficient in that it yields about 15 [percent to] 20 percent greater thrust than the open-loop cycle for the same amount of propellant flow," said Dale Thomas, associate technical director at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and head of the nearby National Institute for Rocket Propulsion Systems.
Put another way, "it allows the [rocket] stage designer to pack more energy into a smaller package," Greg Pech, director of the engines, motors integration and product delivery team at United Launch Alliance (ULA) of Denver, said in a July 9 email. That alone is not a game-changer, Pech said, but such engines would make bulk orders cheaper, compared with the price of ULA's Delta 4, the company's all-American alternative to Atlas 5.
ULA is still buying imported RD-180s from a company called RD Amross, a joint venture of NPO Energomash and United Technology Corp., former parent company of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. RD Amross was not conveyed to Aerojet as part of its June 13 takeover of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
Testing, 1 ... 2 ...
In 2007, the Air Force Research Laboratory gave Aerojet a $110 million contract for preliminary work on an advanced hydrocarbon booster engine, which the service said should be capable of generating up to 1 million pounds of thrust — a little more than the RD-180 generates at sea level.
Van Kleeck said Aerojet Rocketdyne will leverage some of the work it did for the Air Force to develop a 500,000 pound-thrust, closed-loop kerosene engine that could be used as a side-mounted booster for the Space Launch System (SLS) NASA is working on. Competition for the side-mounted boosters would not begin until 2015 or 2016 — around the time Aerojet is scheduled to test-fire the new engine, according to Thomas. The first SLS flight that needs new boosters, meanwhile, would not be until the mid-2020s. Launches scheduled for 2017 and 2021 would use shuttle-derived solid-fuel boosters for raw power off the pad.
If Aerojet Rocketdyne brings its new engine into production, it could have a customer waiting in Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., which is looking for an alternative to the AJ-26 engines Aerojet sold it for the first 10 flights of the Antares medium-lift rocket — the vehicle at the heart of Orbital's eight-flight, $1.9 billion space station cargo delivery contract with NASA. The AJ-26 is a refurbished, upgraded version of the kerosene-fueled NK-33 engine developed for a failed Soviet Moon rocket called N1, and Orbital is concerned that the remaining stockpile of refurbishable NK-33s is too small to depend upon long term.
As a replacement, the RD-180 is high on Orbital's list. So high, in fact, that the company in June sued ULA for restricting the commercial sale of the engine. Currently, ULA is the sole U.S. buyer of RD-180 engines under an exclusivity agreement that one of its parent companies, Lockheed Martin, secured in 1997 as a condition of funding the RD-180's development in Russia.

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ЦитироватьNASA, Industry Test Additively Manufactured Rocket Engine Injector
             
Posted by Doug Messier
 
on July 13, 2013, at 10:10 am  in News
                                            
(http://a5812dc8bd9140d242e5-6a6d461ce122a15fb2cf3be7c57b2f08.r88.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/NASA_Aerojet_Additive_Injector.jpg)
Liquid oxygen/gaseous hydrogen rocket injector assembly built using additive manufacturing technology is hot-fire tested at NASA Glenn Research Center's Rocket Combustion Laboratory in Cleveland. (Credit: NASA Glenn Research Center)

 CLEVELAND, July 11, 2013 (NASA PR) – NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne of West Palm Beach, Fla., recently finished testing a rocket engine injector made through additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing.
This space technology demonstration may lead to more efficient manufacturing of rocket engines, saving American companies time and money.
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland conducted the successful tests for Aerojet Rocketdyne through a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement.
A series of firings of a liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen rocket injector assembly demonstrated the ability to design, manufacture and test a highly critical rocket engine component using selective laser melting manufacturing technology. Aerojet Rocketdyne designed and fabricated the injector by a method that employs high-powered laser beams to melt and fuse fine metallic powders into three dimensional structures.
"NASA recognizes that on Earth and potentially in space, additive manufacturing can be game-changing for new mission opportunities, significantly reducing production time and cost by 'printing' tools, engine parts or even entire spacecraft," said Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for space technology in Washington. "3-D manufacturing offers opportunities to optimize the fit, form and delivery systems of materials that will enable our space missions while directly benefiting American businesses here on Earth."
This type of injector manufactured with traditional processes would take more than a year to make but with these new processes it can be produced in less than four months, with a 70 percent reduction in cost.
"Rocket engine components are complex machined pieces that require significant labor and time to produce. The injector is one of the most expensive components of an engine," said Tyler Hickman, who led the testing at Glenn.
Aerojet Rocketdyne's additive manufacturing program manager, Jeff Haynes, said the injector represents a significant advancement in application of additive manufacturing, most often used to make simple brackets and other less critical hardware. "The injector is the heart of a rocket engine and represents a large portion of the resulting cost of these systems. Today, we have the results of a fully additive manufactured rocket injector with a demonstration in a relevant environment," he said.
Glenn and Aerojet Rocketdyne partnered on the project with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. At the Air Force lab, a unique high-pressure facility provided pre-test data early in the program to give insight into the spray patterns of additively manufactured injector elements.
"Hot fire testing the injector as part of a rocket engine is a significant accomplishment in maturing additive manufacturing for use in rocket engines," said Carol Tolbert, manager of the Manufacturing Innovation Project at Glenn. "These successful tests let us know that we are ready to move on to demonstrate the feasibility of developing full-size, additively manufactured parts."
For more information about Aerojet Rocketdyne, visit:
http://www.rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com/)
For information about NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/glenn
For more information about the Air Force Research Laboratory, visit:
http://www.afrl.af.mil (http://www.afrl.af.mil/)
The Manufacturing Innovation Project is supported by the Game Changing Technology Program in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in NASA's future missions. For more information about NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

ЦитироватьBall, Aerojet Rocketdyne Ground-Test Green Thrusters
By Frank Morring, Jr.
Source: Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

July 12, 2013

Another non-toxic replacement for hydrazine monopropellant has passed ground testing, paving the way for a satellite flight test as early as 2015.

Ball Aerospace and Aerospace Rocketdyne say their system, which uses a hydroxyl ammonium nitrate (HAN) mixture designated AF-M315E, with a special catalyst, has greater density than hydrazine for better storage efficiency, and produces better performance.

"When we look at this compared to a hydrazine monopropellant type of system, where we have a single fluid driving the system on the spacecraft, we have a 50% increase in performance over the standard hydrazine," says Christopher McLean, principal investigator on NASA's upcoming Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM).

GPIM is scheduled to fly as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy, using a Ball Configurable Platform (BCP) 100 spacecraft bus and an Aerojet Rocketdyne thruster system that combines a 22N (5-lb.-thrust) thruster with four 1N units, all burning the "green" fuel to put the satellite testbed through the maneuvers an operational small satellite would see.

"These were selected because they have the largest market share, [so] we are developing the technologies that really meet the needs of the marketplace for this type of attitude control on a spacecraft," McLean says.

Ecological Advanced Propulsion Systems (Ecaps), a unit of the Swedish Space Corporation, has tested a different green propellant — based on ammonium dinitramide — in space. The fuel was used in tandem with a hydrazine system on the Prisma mission's Mango satellite to maneuver in formation with a smaller spacecraft.

Despite the completion of space qualification, sales of the Ecaps system have been slow to take off. Roger Myers of Aerojet Rocketdyne's Redmond, Wash., facility said the performance of the U.S. system in the ground test is better than the Swedish approach, and suggested there may be safety issues with the by-products of its evaporation.

Ultimately Aerojet Rocketdyne hopes to "infuse" its new green technology into applications other than small satellites, including tactical missiles and large geostationary satellites, Myers said. The advantages of green propulsion over hydrazine, which requires special handling and equipment, should make it attractive wherever the toxic fuel is used.

"We can move, we think, to a shirtsleeve environment with this new fuel," says Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is funding the GPIM mission. "That means less ground-processing time [and] less ground-processing cost in order to load the spacecraft with the fuel."

ЦитироватьВ НАСА распечатали компонент ракеты-носителя на 3D принтере
 22 Июля - 11:10
 
Испытания системы впрыска топлива для ракетного двигателя, полученной на  3D принтере, прошли успешно. Напечатанный инжектор показал высокие рабочие характеристики и в будущем его собираются производить именно таким образом.
 
(http://sdnnet.ru/images/sized/images/uploads/v_nasa_raspechatali_komponent_rakety-nositelya_na_3d_printere-400x234.jpg)
Технологии трехмерной печати открывают невиданные ранее возможности во многих сферах человеческой деятельности
 
Технологии трехмерной печати открывают невиданные ранее возможности во многих сферах человеческой деятельности. В будущем на 3D принтерах будут печатать не только разнообразные детали, но даже еду и человеческие органы. Правда, до этого светлого времени еще далеко, но и сейчас подобные технологии могут приносить реальную пользу.
Традиционно, ракетные инжекторы являются одними из самых дорогих компонентов носителя. Причина состоит в том, что на изготовление этого компонента уходит целый год. Однако трехмерная печать способна сократить этот срок до нескольких месяцев, что на 70 процентов удешевляет стоимость производства.
Инжекторы отвечают за поставку топлива в камеру сгорания ракетных двигателей и обязаны выдерживать чудовищные нагрузки в те несколько десятков секунд, пока ракета несется ввысь, набирая первую космическую скорость. Испытания показали, что система впрыска, распечатанная на принтере компанией Aerojet Rocketdyne, полностью соответствует всем необходимым стандартам и может применяться в конструировании ракет. Конструкторы инжектора воодушевлены данным успехом и обещают в будущем научиться создавать посредствам трехмерной печати целые узлы ракет-носителей.

Цитироватьhttp://sdnnet.ru/n/8843/ пишет:
Испытания системы впрыска топлива для ракетного двигателя, полученной на 3D принтере, прошли успешно. Напечатанный инжектор показал высокие рабочие характеристики и в будущем его собираются производить именно таким образом.

Цитироватьhttp://sdnnet.ru/n/8843/ пишет:
(http://sdnnet.ru/images/sized/images/uploads/v_nasa_raspechatali_komponent_rakety-nositelya_na_3d_printere-400x234.jpg)

ЦитироватьАлександр Пономаренко пишет:

Цитироватьhttp://sdnnet.ru/n/8843/ пишет:
Испытания системы впрыска топлива для ракетного двигателя, полученной на 3D принтере, прошли успешно. Напечатанный инжектор показал высокие рабочие характеристики и в будущем его собираются производить именно таким образом.

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/july/nasa-industry-test-additively-manufactured-rocket-engine-injector-0/

ЦитироватьAerojet Withholds Rocketdyne Payment Pending Russian Approval of RD-Amross Transfer
By Peter B. de Selding | Jul. 24, 2013
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87725.jpg)

Aerojet Chief Executive William M. Boley Jr. said following the mid-June purchase of Rocketdyne that it could take several months for the Russian government, whose state-owned Energomash builds the RD-180 engine (shown above), to approve the transfer to the new Aerojet Rocketdyne of the RD-Amross stake.
 
 PARIS — Rocket-motor maker Gencorp Aerojet has withheld 25 percent of its payment to United Technologies Corp. (UTC) for the purchase of competitor Rocketdyne pending Russian government approval of the transfer to Aerojet of UTC/Rocketdyne's 50 percent stake in the company that provides the first-stage engine for the U.S. Atlas 5 rocket, Aerojet said.
In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Aerojet left open the possibility that its purchase of UTC/Rocketdyne's 50 percent ownership of Cocoa Beach, Fla.-based RD-Amross, which adapts the Russian RD-180 engine for use on the Atlas 5, might not occur.
"The acquisition [of the RD-Amross ownership] and UTC's related business is expected to close following receipt of the Russian government regulatory approvals, if at all," Sacramento, Calif.-based Gencorp Aerojet said in the SEC filing, dated July 9.
Aerojet Chief Executive Warren M. Boley Jr. said following the purchase of Rocketdyne in mid-June that it could take several months for the Russian government, whose state-owned Energomash builds the RD-180 engine, to approve the transfer to the new Aerojet Rocketdyne of the RD-Amross stake. Khimki-based Energomash owns the other 50 percent of RD-Amross.
Boley did not mention any specific change-of-control provisions in the RD-Amross shareholders' agreement that would block or complicate a transfer of UTC/Rocketdyne's shares, and he said initial Russian government reaction to the Aerojet purchase of Rocketdyne was favorable. But he said to expect several months before the transfer of the RD-Amross stake would occur.
Aerojet's purchase of Rocketdyne was valued at $550 million. In the SEC filing, Aerojet said the value of the RD-Amross ownership was set at $55 million, and that this sum had been subtracted fr om Aerojet's payment to UTC.
Also deducted from the original purchase price was the portion of the UTC business that markets and sells the RD-180 engines. Finally, Aerojet said the purchase price had been reduced to account for "changes in customer advances, capital expenditures and other net assets, and is subject to further post-closing adjustments."
The net result is that Aerojet has paid UTC $411 million, Aerojet said.
Beyond any issues that may concern the Russian government, the purchase of UTC/Rocketdyne's RD-Amross equity places Aerojet, now called Aerojet Rocketdyne, in an unusual position.
Aerojet has an established relationship with another Russian company, Kuznetsov Design Bureau/NK Engines, for which it refurbishes long-stored, Kuznetsov-built engines and sells them to Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., as AJ-26 motors powering Orbital's new Antares rocket.
With the lim ited number of available AJ-26 engines dwindling – their production line in Russia has long been shut down – Orbital has sought to purchase RD-180 engines to replace the AJ-26.
But RD-Amross, citing exclusivity agreements with Atlas rocket operator United Launch Alliance of Denver, has refused to permit Orbital to purchase RD-180s. Orbital has now sued United Launch Alliance in a U.S. District Court in Virginia alleging infringement of U.S. antitrust law.
Boley said Aerojet and Kuznetsov have reached an agreement on restarting the engine production line once they have received a contract from Orbital.
The purchase of RD-Amross would put Aerojet Rocketdyne on both sides of the issue. RD-Amross presumably sees at least some advantage to maintaining an exclusivity deal with United Launch Alliance that may or may not outweigh the potential to broaden its customer base to Orbital.
How the pros and cons weigh for Aerojet Rocketdyne is unclear. The company said in its SEC filing that United Launch Alliance is already a major customer, accounting for 12 percent of Aerojet's business, or about $34 million, for the three months ending May 31, up from less than 10 percent in previous quarters.

ЦитироватьU.S. Prepares Flight Test of "Green" Satellite Propulsion
By Frank Morring, Jr.
Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology

July 22, 2013

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/87788.jpg)
Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Satellite manufacturers may soon have a second source of green propellant for their spacecraft thrusters, if space testing of a U.S.-developed alternative to highly toxic hydrazine monopropellant goes well. Ball Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne say their system, which uses a hydroxyl ammonium nitrate (HAN) mixture designated AF-M315E, with a special catalyst, has greater density than hydrazine for better storage efficiency, and produces better performance than both hydrazine and a different "green" spacecraft propellant already tested by Sweden. It has passed ground testing, paving the way for a satellite flight test as early as 2015.
"When we look at this compared to a hydrazine monopropellant type of system, where we have a single fluid driving the system on the spacecraft, we have a 50% increase in performance over the standard hydrazine," says Christopher McLean of Ball, principal investigator on NASA's upcoming Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM).
GPIM is designed to fly as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy, using a Ball Configurable Platform (BCP) 100 spacecraft bus and an Aerojet Rocketdyne thruster system that combines a 22N (5-lb.) thruster with four 1N units, all burning the green fuel to put the satellite testbed through the maneuvers an operational small satellite would see.
"These were selected because they have the largest market share, [so] we are developing the technologies that really meet the needs of the marketplace for this type of attitude control on a spacecraft," McLean says.
Ecological Advanced Propulsion Systems (Ecaps), a unit of the Swedish Space Corp., has tested a different green propellant—based on ammonium dinitramide—in space. The fuel was used in tandem with a hydrazine system on the Prisma mission's Mango satellite to maneuver in formation with a smaller spacecraft.
Despite the completion of space qualification, sales of the Ecaps system have been slow to take off. Roger M. Myers of Aerojet Rocketdyne's Redmond, Wash., facility says the performance of the U.S. system in the ground test is better than the Swedish approach, and suggests there may be safety issues with the by-products of its evaporation.
Ultimately, Aerojet Rocketdyne hopes to "infuse" its new green technology into applications other than small satellites, including tactical missiles and large geostationary satellites, Myers says. As this photo of an Aerojet Rocketdyne technician with a beaker of AF-M315E shows, the green propellant requires none of the special handling or equipment mandatory for hydrazine.
"We can move, we think, to a shirtsleeve environment with this new fuel," says Michael Gazarik, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, which is funding the GPIM mission. "That means less ground-processing time [and] less ground-processing cost in order to load the spacecraft with the fuel."
Swedish space officials say they were able to fuel the green system on Prisma in one day, meeting Russian safety requirements for their launch on a Dnepr-1 rocket without wearing hazmat suits. During the formation-flying operations, the Mango satellite fired thrusters using hydrazine and the LMP-103S green propellant interchangeably (AW&ST Nov. 1, 2010, p. 69).
Ball's GPIM spacecraft will use all five Aerojet Rocketdyne thrusters simultaneously to demonstrate attitude control, spacecraft point and hold, orbit lowering and inclination change. It will also characterize the thruster performance in space for future improvements, which could include shipping fueled spacecraft instead of fueling them at the launch site.
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory developed the HAN fuel/oxidizer blend, but it wasn't until Aerojet Rocketdyne worked with AFRL to perfect the catalyst necessary for it to fire that a spacecraft propulsion system became practical.
"These are high-temperature propellants; they burn at a higher temperature than hydrazine," says Myers. "So the catalyst lifetime is limited by the high-temperature operations, so we developed a new catalyst. That was the key breakthrough, a new catalyst material, a new catalyst processing capability to enable the catalyst to survive long life."
For now, hydrazine remains qualified for longer service life than the U.S. green propellant. Myers says the ground test ran the thruster for 11 hr. continuously, which should qualify it for many small NASA, military and commercial missions. Basically, McLean says, the technology was designed for ESPA-class rideshare spacecraft, although it can be scaled to larger spacecraft and other applications.
"We're looking to demonstrate about 7 kg (15 lb.) of fuel out of the entire propulsion system. That really is just for a very small spacecraft. However, as part of the overall program that we're doing, we're not just testing the engines and the flight engines during the overall qualification program to those levels of fuel. We're actually testing them to 30 kg of throughput, especially on the 22N, so that we will demonstrate its compatibility with longer-life missions."

ЦитироватьБольшой пишет:

ЦитироватьРакетный двигатель НК-33 прошел очередной цикл испытаний

 Специалисты ОАО «Кузнецов» завершили очередной этап огневых стендовых испытаний ракетного двигателя НК-33. На этот раз изделие проверяли с отдельными элементами нового производства в условиях трехкратного ресурса работы, сообщила пресс-служба предприятия.

Основной целью длительных испытаний НК-33 стало подтверждение его качественных характеристик при реализованных технологических решениях по вновь изготовленным узлам камеры сгорания - коллектора и новых резинотехнических деталей агрегатов двигателя.
В огневых испытаниях приняли участие руководители и специалисты американской двигателестроительной компании «Аэроджет Рокетдайн». Общая наработка НК-33 по итогам трех стендовых проверок составила 616 секунд. Двигатель отработал успешно, подтвердив все требуемые параметры.
ОАО «Кузнецов» – одно из крупнейших предприятий авиационного и космического двигателестроения. Входит в состав Объединенной двигателестроительной корпорации.

Подробнее: http://vpk-news.ru/news/17308

ЦитироватьBoeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne Test CST-100 Thrusters
Sept 20, 2013
Rebecca Regan and Steven Siceloff
John F. Kennedy Space Center

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/89012.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/2013-3624_0.jpg?itok=DY7TjJPe)
A thruster glows red during a hot-fire test at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M.,for Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft orbital maneuvering and attitude control (OMAC) system.
Image Credit: Boeing

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/89013.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/707907main_cst-100_1.jpg?itok=IA9uq2CY)
Artist concept of Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft in orbit. The CST-100 is under development by Boeing in collaboration with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
Image Credit: Boeing
 
 Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft is one step closer to liftoff after a gauntlet of test firings of its steering jets at White Sands Space Harbor in Las Cruces, N.M.
   Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne recently completed the tests, which simulated the demanding environment of space. The tests assessed how the thrusters -- which fire with 1,500 pounds of force -- will speed up, slow down and move the spacecraft while carrying NASA astronauts in Earth's orbit.
   Boeing is developing a fully integrated crew transportation system, which includes the CST-100 spacecraft and the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, in partnership with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP). New commercial spaceflight capabilities being developed by NASA partners through commercial crew initiatives eventually could provide services to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station, launching from American soil. Boeing is working on development milestones that are part of NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative.
   "Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne continue to show a path forward for NASA's low-Earth orbit crew transportation needs by implementing cutting-edge technologies and showcasing decades of human spaceflight experience," said Ed Mango, CCP manager.
   The CST-100's orbital maneuvering and attitude control (OMAC) system has 24 thrusters, giving it the ability to perform critical maneuvers in space such as those required to refine the CST-100's orbit, as well as the braking maneuver near the end of a mission that slows the spacecraft down before re-entry. The OMAC thrusters will be jettisoned when the service module is released from the capsule just before re-entry. Positioned in four clusters of six on the service module of the spacecraft, the thrusters could steer the spacecraft in case an emergency calls for it to separate from its rocket during launch or ascent.
   During the tests, the OMAC thrusters were fired in a vacuum chamber that simulated the space-like environment at an altitude of 100,000 feet. These evaluations put the thrusters through the burns and stresses they would encounter during a real flight. Engineers equipped the jets with a host of instruments to measure changes in the smallest components.
   "The CST-100 OMAC thrusters are an example of leveraging proven flight hardware solutions to ensure mission supportability," said John Mulholland, Boeing vice president and manager for commercial programs. "We are very pleased with the data collected during this second series of tests and with our overall team performance as we continue to progress through CCiCap milestones on time and on budget."
   Previous tests of the OMAC thrusters verified their durability in extreme heat, evaluated the opening and closing of their valves and confirmed continuous combustion and performance. Designers are using the results of these tests to validate or adjust their complex computer models that predict how a thruster and spacecraft will work during a mission.
   "The OMAC engines met CCiCap test objectives," said Terry Lorier, Aerojet Rocketdyne's CST-100 Service Module Propulsion Program manager. "Aerojet Rocketdyne and Boeing are both pleased with the results and look forward to continuing our partnership."
   With the completion of Milestone 9, Boeing is on track to meet all 20 of its CCiCap milestones by summer 2014. All of NASA's industry partners, including Boeing, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.
   For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program and its aerospace industry partners, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew (http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew)

ЦитироватьJ-2X Hot-Fire-Tests First Additive-Manufactured Part
By Guy Norris
Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology
September 23, 2013

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/89121.jpg)
Credit: Guy Norris/AWST

Facing even greater budgetary uncertainty than before, Aerojet Rocketdyne is entering a key period of testing in its drive to cut cost fr om the propulsion element of NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle.
Working closely with the space agency, the newly merged rocket engine company has a raft of cost-saving initiatives underway ranging fr om production streamlining to advanced, but cheaper, manufacturing methods. According to NASA's SLS liquid engines program manager Mike Kynard, the goal is straightforward. "We want SLS to be more affordable. We don't want to spend all our money on the truck that takes us to space—we want to be able to spend more on exploration when we get there."
The vision statement stems as much fr om the fiscal realities of the pressurized NASA budget as it does fr om the bitter experience of the canceled Constellation program that preceded the SLS. "The Augustine Report said Constellation was not affordable, and we heard that message loud and clear," Kynard told reporters at NASA Stennis Space Center, Miss., where tests are underway of the liquid-oxygen/hydrogen (LOx/LH) J-2X upper-stage engine in development for the SLS.
The latest hot-fire test of the J-2X on Sept. 5 included the first part made fr om selective laser melting (SLM), a subset of additive manufacturing. The part tested was an access port cover, not typical of the more complex, hard-to-make parts for which SLM will be generally used. But Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA officials say its inclusion in the J-2X program helps pave the way for broader applications later. Initial targets include using SLM to help produce a more affordable, expendable version of the SLS's RS-25, which was originally developed as the space shuttle main engine (SSME).
Jim Paulsen, Aerojet Rocketdyne Advanced Space and Launch deputy program manager, says the company needs "to start focusing on affordability, and that's going to be by using lessons learned from the RS68 and J-2X and applying it to the new RS-25." Paulsen adds, "we hope to get started on that fairly soon because there is a supply-base concern. We hope that when the new fiscal year starts in October we will be working on restarting RS-25 production."
Kynard says potential applications of SLM include parts that are difficult to manufacture such as the "pogo" LOx splash-baffle, which is designed to prevent potentially damaging frequency harmonics in the fuel system. Company officials say the application of the SLM process is expected to bring significant cost and time savings. Gas-generator components that typically took nine months to produce at a cost of $300,000 are now expected to be made in 3-5 weeks for just $35,000. NASA SLS program manager Todd May says, "we are laser-focused on getting costs down," and notes that the sintering process is a valuable tool in this initiative.
As well as affordability, the design focus for the new-build RS-25 units will counter obsolescence issues that have emerged over time. An example is the 1980s-vintage engine controller on the SSME. The new-build engine, which will retain the baseline RS-25 designation, is a modern digital-engine controller that will be derived from units tested on the new upper-stage engine.
"J-2X was made for Ares [under Constellation] and that's been adapted for SLS, so now it has different requirements," says Kynard. "So we are evolving the J-2X controller to control the RS-25. We think it is helpful to have a common engine controller anyway, so as we evolve the J-2X unit for the RS-25, we'll keep an eye on it and see if we can put it in the RS68, and if we resurrect it, the F-1B as well." The adapted J-2X controller will be run on a pair of RS-25 development engines at Stennis starting next year.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is moving to restart RS-25 production soon because, even though NASA has 15 complete RS-25 former shuttle engines in storage at Stennis and a 16th due to be assembled from existing parts, this will only cover sufficient engines for four launches of the SLS. The first stage of the SLS will use four RS-25s. "The first 16 flight engines are covered, but we like to have four spares ready to go. So you could argue we are good for three launches," says Paulsen. The first four SLS flights are slated for 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2025. "So we will be looking at delivering the first new engines to Stennis in the 2021-22 time frame," he adds.
Up to 50% of the cost-savings for the expendable RS-25 is also expected to be realized through the process of "value-stream mapping," the way the engine is put together. "Part of the close-out of the shuttle involved looking at what it takes to restart RS-25," says Tom Martin, development lead for the F-1B advanced booster risk-reduction program at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "We did value-stream mapping to see what drove the major costs and, in future, if we restart production, we will hit the ground running."
"We saw opportunities before wh ere we could do things differently, but change was too expensive in the middle of the shuttle program for re-certification reasons," adds Chris Sanders, Aerojet Rocketdyne's deputy director for strategic planning and business development.
"After 30 years of work with space shuttle," Martin says, "there was a lot of baggage that you didn't want to mess with because it was a flight program. So you can look at it now and say, 'What do you want to keep and what don't you need?'"
"We changed the approach because the SSME was made in lim ited quantities and nobody had ever done value-stream mapping on it before," says Kynard. "We looked at every step to see if there was a better way to make the engine. Flow time has seen a huge benefit. We're seeing three to four months go to about one-month assembly periods. This engine is ripe for that, and we can make the flow common between engines. That way, the line doesn't care if it's a J-2X or an RS68."
Under the revised process, the overall time for production of the new RS-25 from long-lead items to installation is expected to be reduced to around four years from the 6.5-year period it saw on the shuttle. "It's ambitious, but that's how you drive affordability," Kynard adds.
Martin says the focus has been on three major areas: raw materials, touch labor and support labor from engineering staff. "So we've been going through and looking at all of that," he says. "We've been consolidating the supply chain."
Sanders says that suppliers that represent a potential single-point failure have been eliminated, while the number that are common between multiple programs is growing. "For example, they are 65% common between the J-2X and RS-25 and it's likely that will go higher."
As one of the major tenets of SLS is the heavy use of heritage hardware, Sanders believes this also plays a role in forcing the government-industry team to seek even more cost-saving initiatives. "NASA decided to go with mature and relatively low-risk technology, so we've ins erted in J-2X more modern manufacturing, and the facilities have been laid out to optimize the production and assembly flow," he says.
"So at the program level, we've got those kinds of things going on. At the company level, we've been reducing our footprint at the various campuses, which is down by 50% since we started the process in 2007," Sanders notes. "Head-count is also down by around 30% and part of that is the new reality of the business base—as well as a drive to be leaner and more affordable."
Sanders says this is not just about "reducing square footage." The company has also been "making efforts to consolidate large turbomachinery production into one location [at West Palm Beach, Fla.], and at Stennis, wh ere we conduct all large-engine assembly and test. In one site, there is now RS68, RS-25 and J-2X," he says.
Major manufacturing consolidation is also close to completion at Aerojet Rocketdyne's site in De Soto, Calif., near Los Angeles, wh ere the company has centralized activity away from the heritage facility at nearby Canoga Park. "That's the third big part. We've laid out assembly and flow to minimize production time and unnecessary flow," Sanders says.
"We are trying to use same manufacturing technology so that in a common shop the same people can work on different parts. For example, the move to hip-bonded chambers, which was implemented on the J-2X, is a good example of wh ere it se ts the stage for everything we're doing on RS-25," he says. "We use it on RS68 and intend to use it on the F-1B. In many ways, the J-2X is a testbed for everything we need to do for the RS-25. Also, the RS-25 is a restart of an existing production line, just like J-2X."
Sanders stresses that the "SLS will only be successful if it is affordable." He asserts that "this program, more than any previous shuttle replacement effort, has the greatest chance because of the initiatives that are being taken now."

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Форсуночная головка.

ЦитироватьNASA's J-2X Engine To Be Mothballed After Testing
By Frank Morring, Jr.
Source: Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/89377.jpg)

October 04, 2013

NASA's J-2X engine, once considered the pacing item for the next U.S. human-rated rocket, will go on the shelf after development testing wraps up next year because it will be years before the engine is needed to push humans toward Mars.

While the agency is actively seeking other missions for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) in the planetary science and military arenas, most of the human flights it has in sight for the big new rocket probably can be accomplished with an upper stage powered by the RL-10 engine instead of the J-2X.

"The J-2X for certain [design reference missions] is somewhat overpowered," said Todd May, NASA's SLS program manager.

An upgrade of the Saturn V upper-stage engine, the all-cryogenic J-2X generates 294,000 lb. of thrust with its gas-generator cycle. While it almost certainly will be needed to send men and women to Mars, the equally venerable RL-10 is beginning to look like a better power plant for the SLS upper stages that will be needed before that far-off mission.

Congress ordered an SLS able to lift 130 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO), which is a generally accepted requirement for launching a Mars mission. But for missions to the Moon, where a lot of Mars-precursor missions are being planned, a 105-ton SLS is probably sufficient, according to Steve Creech, May's deputy, who is responsible for finding other applications for the SLS.

One way to get to that capability would be with a "dual-use upper stage" carrying three or four RL-10s. All of them would ignite to get the payload — an Orion crew capsule, in-space habitat or lunar lander — into LEO, and then some subset of that number would fire for the trans-lunar injection to send the payload toward the Moon.

NASA hasn't ruled out using the J-2X for that portion of the trip, but it could be faster to develop the dual-use stage than the originally planned SLS upper stage powered by the J-2X, and a cryogenic propulsion stage (CPS) for getting into lunar orbit.

"What we've looked at to try to save costs and accelerate mission capability [is] combining the functions of our upper stage and the CPS so that we just have to have one stage," Creech says.

Development of the J-2X started under the Bush administration's Constellation program, which envisioned a human-rated launcher called the Ares I that used a shuttle-derived solid-fuel first stage, and an upper stage powered by the Saturn-heritage J-2X. At the beginning of the Constellation effort, the J-2X was considered the most time-consuming element of the Ares I, even though its Saturn heritage was chosen to minimize development complexity.

Now the engine has been built, using drawings and some hardware retained by NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne, and is in development testing at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Those tests are scheduled to end next year, and after that work on the J-2X will halt "until we're ready" to integrate the engine with an SLS upper stage, probably for the Mars mission, May says.

"Under constrained funding the number of simultaneous developments is limited, and that's why we've essentially ended up with the architecture we did, because we only have the core to develop," he says, referring to the SLS first stage. "And if you can do a dual-use upper stage you can actually get to a very capable rocket with only one more major development — not an upper stage and then a CPS."

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Could Lay Off 225 Due to Merger
By Dan Leone | Feb. 7, 2014

WASHINGTON — Aerojet Rocketdyne, the company created in June by the $550 million merger of the top two U.S. suppliers of liquid-fueled rocket engines, could lay off as many as 225 employees by March as it streamlines operations, parent company GenCorp said.

Notices to employees who could be affected went out Jan. 30, Sacramento, Calif,-based GenCorp said in a Feb. 7 press release announcing earnings for the fiscal quarter and year ended Nov. 30.

The company would incur a one-time cost of $15.7 million related to the downsizing, GenCorp said.

ЦитироватьU.S. RD-180 Coproduction Would Cost $1 Billion
By Amy Butler
Source: Aviation Week & Space Technology
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100722.jpg)

March 24, 2014

Recent tensions over Russia's move to annex Crimea have prompted some to question the reliability of U.S. access to the Russian-made RD-180 engine, which is used to power one of two rockets that loft national security payloads into orbit.

Russia is a source for these engines as well as other aerospace materials, such as titanium. The U.S. government has placed targeted sanctions on 11 Russian and Ukranian officials—the most comprehensive of such measures since the end of the Cold War—as a response to Russia's bold move into Crimea. But the dispute has thus far not affected the supply chain for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.

"We hold a license to manufacture and deliver RD-180 engines," says Matthew Bates, a spokesman for Pratt & Whitney, which formed a joint venture with Russian engine manufacturer NPO Energomash in 1997 called RD Amross. The sole purpose of RD Amross is to provide the engines to the U.S. "A deviation from the contracted, agreed-upon delivery amount would represent a contractual breech," says Maureen Schumann, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

If Russia were to hold the RD-180 hostage, the Defense Department estimates it would need $1 billion over five years to establish production on U.S. soil.

The RD-180 sourcing plan was established over years of regulatory review once Lockheed Martin, which developed the Atlas V in the late 1990s, sel ected the engine as its propulsion system. To mitigate concerns about supply, the U.S. Air Force maintains a stockpile of roughly two years' worth of engines, ULA CEO Mike Gass told lawmakers this month. The stockpile was approved as a change to the U.S. policy with regard to foreign sourcing in 2000.

The policy today is three-pronged. In addition to the stockpile, the Pentagon also has a plan to "gracefully" transition to U.S. production if needed. And, finally, should the supply be interrupted, Pentagon officials can prioritize what missions would use Atlas V while a production facility is being established stateside.
The coproduction requirement for the RD-180 that was set early in the program was eventually lifted by the Pentagon in part because missions could be offloaded to the Delta IV family, Schumann says. The Pentagon has long held to a strategy of "assured access" to space by operating two distinct rocket systems.

The Delta IV was originally developed by Boeing as a competitor to the Atlas V, but both rockets were subsumed into ULA in 2006 when the government approved a monopoly for such missions in the U.S. However, the Delta IV is a less attractive option for some payloads because its RS-68 propulsion system is less effective. "For some missions [such as lofting Lockheed Martin Advanced Extremely High Frequency and Mobile User Objective System satellites on the A2100 bus] this would be more expensive than using an Atlas V because it would require a multi-core heavy launch vehicle instead of a single-core vehicle," Schumann says.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he would review the Pentagon's policy on the Russian sourcing in response to queries fr om Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) during a House Appropriations Defense subcommittee hearing March 17. The Air Force regularly reviews supply for both the Atlas V and Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELV), Schumann says.

The diplomatic volley with Russia has piqued scrutiny of the supply strategy.

Not one to miss such an opportunity, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) CEO Elon Musk has suggested that the Pentagon eliminate its dependence on the Russian engine by using the SpaceX Falcon 9v1.1 in place of the Atlas V. The SpaceX rocket is still in the process of being certified by the Air Force to compete to launch national security payloads.

Although raising the issue amid political tensions over Crimea may grab headlines, it remains to be seen whether this new backdrop will fracture the Pentagon's stalwart support for maintaining the Atlas V and Delta IV.

It has become an almost annual drill for budgeteers to suggest cancelling the Atlas V and relying on a single supplier for financial reasons, but the Atlas V remains intact.

Musk's argument for replacing the Atlas V is hardly new; Boeing used it when competing against Lockheed Martin for work during the first round of EELV competitions.

But this dynamic could be changed if SpaceX can make good on its proposition of supplying launches to the Pentagon at a lower cost despite the rigorous oversight required for mission assurance.

ЦитироватьAviation Week & Space Technology пишет:
If Russia were to hold the RD-180 hostage, the Defense Department estimates it would need $1 billion over five years to establish production on U.S. soil.

ЦитироватьAviation Week & Space Technology пишет:
But this dynamic could be changed if SpaceX can make good on its proposition of supplying launches to the Pentagon at a lower cost despite the rigorous oversight required for mission assurance.

ЦитироватьULA's common upper stage engine to fly this year
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: June 4, 2014

United Launch Alliance plans to debut a new version of the venerable RL10 upper stage engine on an Atlas 5 rocket flight in December in a step toward the development of a common upper stage across the company's Atlas and Delta launcher fleets, a move officials say will reduce costs and increase performance.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234782.jpg)
A view of an RL10 engine being prepared for launch on a Delta 4 rocket. Credit: NASA/KSC
 

Спойлер

But further upgrades to ULA's rocket upper stages, including concepts to build long-duration deep space tugs and propellant depots, may take a back seat as focus grows on developing a powerful U.S.-built booster engine to end reliance on Russian propulsion.

The first flight of the RL10C upper stage engine is scheduled for an Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in December. The flight will place a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office into orbit in a mission designated NROL-35 by the U.S. government's spy satellite agency.

Developed with U.S. Air Force funding and private investment, the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C engine will accelerate satellites into orbit after boosts from first stage engines on the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rocket.

Designed to burn a mix of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, the engine passed final flight qualification in June 2013, and the RL10C's first flight is set for December, said Bernard Kutter, a manager in ULA's advanced programs division.

"The RL10C engine is fully qualified and can be used on either Atlas or Delta," said George Sowers, ULA's vice president of strategic architecture.

Sowers said the RL10C will become the standard upper stage engine for all of the company's Atlas 5 and Delta 4 launches. An exception will be for the two-engine version of the Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage, which will continue flying with the RL10A-4-2 version of the engine.

The shape of the RL10C's bell-shaped nozzle prevents two of the engines from being placed side-by-side in a dual-engine configuration, Sowers said.

The Delta 4 rocket's upper stage is powered by an RL10B-2 engine, which features a carbon-carbon nozzle extension and other upgrades to raise thrust and specific impulse, the measure of a rocket engine's efficiency.

ULA is developing the dual-engine Centaur stage to launch crews and cargo on commercial missions to the International Space Station. Sowers said the dual-engine Centaur will also fly with U.S. military, NASA and commercial payloads on launches into low Earth orbit.

Sowers said ULA is developing the dual-engine Centaur with internal research and development money.

The RL10 engine has flown hundreds of times since the 1960s, helping launch U.S. military payloads, NASA science missions and interplanetary probes, and commercial communications satellites.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234780.jpg)
File photo of an RL10 engine on a Centaur upper stage being stacked to assemble an Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: NASA/KSC
 
According to Sowers, the switch to the RL10C engine will not raise the risk of groundings of both of ULA's rocket families in the event of a problem with the upper stage engine.

"We have that problem today because an RL10A and an RL10B have an awful lot of commonality," Sowers said. "Having more commonality could, in some ways, actually enhance how we can rapidly resolve anomalies because you don't have to figure out the differences. Are the differences relevant? So we don't really see any drawbacks."

When a fuel leak in an RL10B engine on a Delta 4 rocket threatened to prevent the launcher from placing its GPS navigation payload in the correct orbit, ULA delayed several downstream Delta 4 missions during an investigation into the anomaly. Atlas 5 rockets fitted with the RL10A engine were cleared to continue flying.

The Delta 4 rocket stricken with the fuel leak ended up deploying the GPS satellite in the targeted orbit despite the problem.

The benefits of the switch to RL10C engines include cost reductions and better management of ULA's engine inventory.

"There are cetainly cost benefits to having commonality," Sowers said. "Another real benefit is being able to use the inventory of RL10B engines inherited from Boeing on both vehicles."

Boeing developed the Delta 4 rocket before merging with Lockheed Martin's Atlas program to form United Launch Alliance in 2006. Boeing had a stockpile of RL10B engines left over from canceled launches during the contraction of the commercial satellite industry in the early 2000s, plus lost contracts and delays in the readiness of military payloads.

Sowers said Aerojet Rocketdyne is converting their inventory of RL10B engines to the RL10C version to allow them to fly on either the Atlas 5 or Delta 4 rocket. The conversion permits the companies to reduce the build rate of the RL10A engine for only designated missions, such as dual-engine Centaur flights with space station crews or cargo.

The modifications include installing avionics for active propellant mixture control, a capability currently on the Atlas 5's RL10A engines but not on the Delta 4's RL10B version. The change will allow the Delta 4 to carry up to 200 pounds of additional payload on certain missions, according to a user's guide posted on ULA's website.

Sowers said the RL10C engine gives the Atlas 5's Centaur upper stage additional thrust, allowing some payloads heading for geostationary transfer orbit or interplanetary trajectories to "downgrade" from an Atlas 5 with solid rocket boosters to the launcher's basic configuration without any strap-on motors, a cheaper option for customers.

The RL10C also introduces a redundant dual direct spark ignition system -- a standard on the Atlas 5's RL10A engine -- to the Delta 4 rocket family.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234781.jpg)
File photo of an RL10 engine on a Delta 4 rocket's second stage. Credit: NASA/KSC
 
Delta 4 missions will fly with an RL10C engine with the full-length extendible nozzle similar to the RL10B engines flying today. The Atlas 5's RL10C engine will fly with a truncated nozzle.

"The original plan was to go to all RL10Cs, but when the commercial crew program came along, it had some unique requirements that drove the need to retain the RL10A capability," Sowers said.

ULA also has plans to develop a larger 5-meter (16.4-foot) diameter upper stage with two RL10C engines. Called the Advanced Common Evolved Stage, or ACES, the upper stage would have a longer lifetime in space, capable of serving as an Earth departure stage for deep space missions or as a propellant depot.

But Sowers said the ACES development could be put on hold as Congress and the Air Force focus on building a new U.S. rocket engine to replace the Russian RD-180 engine used on the first stage of ULA's Atlas 5 rocket.

"The common upper stage is something we've been studying for years and years," Sowers said. "It's still definitely in our planning. If you asked me six months ago, I would have said the next thing we want to do in terms of upgrading our vehicles is the upper stage. Now I might say the booster engine is the next thing we need to work on."

One design feature of the upgraded ACES system is a variable-thrust hydrogen-fueled aluminum thruster. It is set for a demonstration launch in 2016. The thruster will be fed by waste gases from the upper stage's propellant tanks, which would otherwise be discarded.

Sowers said the thruster will allow the upper stage to de-orbit without devoting precious propellant reserves to do the job, removing a performance penalty.

"All the boil-off we normally have, we can run through that for a safe disposal," Sowers said. "Disposing of upper stages is becoming more and more important because of the debris and junk up there. This is a capability we're really looking forward to having on-board."

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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ЦитироватьFallout Fr om AJ-26 Test Failure Remains Unclear

 
 Aviation Week.com                            05/27/2014

 
Author: Frank Morring, Jr.

 
 Engineers probing the May 22 failure of an Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-26 engine during an acceptance test for a future Orbital Sciences Antares mission to the International Space Station (ISS) have yet to determine whether the mishap will delay the next Antares launch.
Preparations for that mission, set to launch fr om Wallops Flight Facility, Va., on June 10, continue as planned, according to Orbital spokesman Barry Beneski.
"The team will continue to progress toward the June 10 launch until they are told not to," he said May 27.
The refurbished Soviet-era engine suffered "significant damage" in the failure at NASA's Stennis Space Center, wh ere the reworked engines are hot-fire tested before shipment to Wallops for integration into an Antares.
The engine failed about midway through the test, Beneski said, a little less than a minute after ignition. Aerojet Rocketdyne has taken the lead on the failure analysis, which was "gathering all the data" on the mishap before drawing conclusions, he said.
The engine that failed wasn't scheduled for flight until next year. The June 10 Antares already has its engines, and engines are on hand for another cargo mission to the ISS in October, according to the Orbital spokesman.
"Farther out, in 2015, we'll figure out which engines go on which rocket," Beneski said.
The May 22 engine failure was the second in the Antares program. A kerosene-fuel leak from a manifold in one of the 40-year-old engines caused a test-stand fire in June 2011. Orbital rejected a third engine and sent it back to Aerojet for repairs, according to Beneski.
"Every AJ-26 that ... flies on Antares goes through a hot-fire acceptance test first," Beneski said. "Fourteen of them have done fine."
Orbital integrates the Soviet-era engines, originally designated the NK-33, in pairs into a first stage built by PA Yushmash, a state-owned company in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. Although the company is located in the eastern part of the country, wh ere pro-Russian sentiment runs strong in the ongoing Crimean crisis, Beneski said so far the political unrest has not disrupted production.
Dulles, Va.-based Orbital has three of the Ukrainian-built stages on hand for the two launches this year and one early in 2015, and expects to receive two more by ship in the second half of this year.
"We take a daily check of how it's going over there," Beneski said, noting that aside from humanitarian concerns over the escalating violence, "from a business standpoint we watch for quality and schedule, and we haven't detected any changes."


http://ula.lonebuffalo.com/story.cfm?story_id=7361389

Цитироватьfrigate пишет:
Aviation Week & Space Technology 9 June 2014 article " AR1 vs. Raptor "
New Rocket program will likely pit kerosene against methane, page 33
 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/44347)

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Targets $25 Million Per Pair For AR-1 Engines
Jun 3, 2014 Amy Butler | AWIN First

Aerojet Rocketdyne is targeting a cost of $20-25 million for each pair of new AR-1 engines as the company continues to lobby the government to fund an all-new, U.S.-sourced rocket propulsion system, says Scott Seymour, president and CEO of the company's parent, GenCorp.

Including legacy systems and various risk-reduction projects, Aerojet Rocketdyne has spent roughly $300 million working on technologies that will feed into the AR-1, Seymour said during a June 3 roundtable with Aviation Week editors. The effort to build a new, 500,000-lb. thrust liquid oxygen/kerosene propulsion system would take about four years from contract award and cost roughly $800 million to $1 billion.

Such an engine is eyed for United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas V rocket as well as Orbital's Antares and, possibly, Space Exploration Technology's Falcon 9 v1.1.

This is roughly the same price cited for the cost of standing up U.S. co-production of the RD-180 engine, which is manufactured by NPO Energomash of Russia and sold to ULA for the Atlas V through a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney.

"We certainly believe [the AR-1 will be] on a par – if not better – than the performance of the RD-180. We also believe it is going to be more affordable," Seymour said. "With each launch vehicle having it its own engine, trying to get any kind of economic buy quantity has been a struggle for us. We really believe with the AR-1 approach, we have a multitude of applications for the engine."

SpaceX's Falcon 9v1.1 is powered by the company's own Merlin 1D engine, but Seymour says he hopes the AR-1 is competitive enough in pricing to earn a place even on this platform. SpaceX founder Elon Musk has focused his company on vertical integration to support quick development timelines.

ULA would not release the per-unit cost of the RD-180 for the Atlas V. SpaceX did not reply to requests on its Merlin engine price; nine Merlin 1Ds are used per Falcon 9 v1.1 launch.

Seymour says the company envisions an engine that can mate with multiple boosters, helping to increase the production volume and, eventually, keep pricing and sourcing stable. "I believe it brings the engines in the space industry more toward the model of aircraft engines ... the destination for those engines are any multitude of aircraft applications," he said.

Eventually, Seymour envisions this engine could be a foundation for NASA's Space Launch System rocket bound for Mars, though he did not give details on the path to get there.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has put its own internal research and development funding toward pieces of the system, but is awaiting funding for a government project, likely to come in fiscal 2016, Seymour said. Despite a tight fiscal environment in Washington, momentum for a new hydrocarbon engine has grown substantially in recent weeks due largely to an aversion of lawmakers to continue buying Russian-made engines in light of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

ЦитироватьHouse Appropriators Recommend $220 Million for Rocket Engine
By Mike Gruss | Jun. 9, 2014

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155340.jpg)
According to a House Appropriations defense subcommittee report, the new engine (to replace the RD-180, above) should be ready to make a first flight by 2022. Credit: ULA photo

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations defense subcommittee, following the lead of authorization legislation already approved on the House floor, is recommending that the U.S. Defense Department spend $220 million next year to develop an American alternative to the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powers the first stage of United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket.

In marking up its version of the defense spending bill during a closed session May 30, the subcommittee also provides the funding necessary to continue buying GPS 3 navigation satellites at a rate of two per year, whereas the U.S. Air Force was hoping to bring that rate down to one per year for 2015.

The subcommittee's draft forms the backbone of the defense spending bill that is expected to be marked up by the full House Appropriations Committee June 10. A copy of the report accompanying the draft legislation was obtained by SpaceNews.

According to the report, the new engine should be ready to make a first flight by 2022.

"The Committee believes that the United States should rely on domestically manufactured launch vehicles as the foundation for access to space and is concerned about the reliance of some national security space launches on rocket engines produced in Russia," the report says.

The full House of Representatives approved similar language on a slightly faster timeline in its version of the national defense authorization bill in May.

The appropriations bill also requires the Defense Secretary to submit a report on "a risk reduction and development plan for a next-generation liquid rocket engine program."

A recent report on mitigating a loss of access to the RD-180, prepared for the Air Force by a blue ribbon panel led by retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mitch Mitchell, made a similar recommendation.

Momentum for developing a large liquid-fueled rocket engine in the United States has been building rapidly in Congress and elsewhere since Russia's annexation of Crimea and continued threat to the rest of eastern Ukraine. The RD-180-powered Atlas 5 is one of the Pentagon's two main satellite-launching workhorses, but a top Russian government official has threatened to bar the use of Russian-made engines for launches of U.S. national security satellites.

The subcommittee's draft report also calls for an additional $30 million for the Air Force to continue buying long-lead parts for two positioning, navigation and timing satellites each year.

The Air Force had planned on slowing its procurement of GPS 3 navigation satellites beginning in the 2015 budget year, primarily because earlier-generation GPS satellites are lasting longer in orbit than expected, service officials have said.

"GPS III is an acquisition program based on efficiencies gained through larger, predictable buys with insertion of evolutionary capability improvements," the report says. "However, the budget request reduces funding for future acquisitions to one satellite per year, increasing the overall life-cycle cost of the program."

Currently Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver is under contract to build eight GPS 3 satellites, which are designed to be more accurate and less vulnerable to enemy jamming than previous generations of GPS craft.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @Gruss_SN

ЦитироватьAdministration Opposes Funding RD-180 Replacement in Defense Bill
By Jeff Foust | Jun. 18, 2014

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to debate the fiscal year 2015 defense appropriations bill, the White House has come out in opposition to one of the bill's space-related provisions: $220 million to start development of a large rocket engine to replace the Russian-built RD-180.

"The Administration objects to the unrequested $220 million for a new rocket engine," the Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) about the defense appropriations bill, released late June 17, states. "This approach prematurely commits significant resources and would not reduce our reliance on Russian engines for at least a decade."

The SAP also cites an unnamed "independent study" that claims development of such an engine would take eight years and cost $1.5 billion, plus "another $3 billion needed to develop a suitable launch vehicle." (The SAP does not identify this study by name; the summary of the "Mitchell Report" about the RD-180 that leaked in May does not include those specific cost estimates, although it does state a new liquid oxygen/hydrocarbon engine should be ready by fiscal year 2022, or eight years from now.)

The SAP indicates that the Obama administration is looking at other options to develop a new large domestic rocket engine. "With a goal of promptly reducing our reliance on Russian technology, the Administration is evaluating several cost-effective options including public-private partnerships with multiple awards that will drive innovation, stimulate the industrial base, and reduce costs through competition," it states.

At an event hosted by the Atlantic Council here June 13, William A. LaPlante, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, said no decision had been made on whether to develop a large hydrocarbon engine. He added that the Air Force was open to alternative approaches, including the use of public-private partnerships, to develop one if the service decided to go forward with that effort.

ЦитироватьSACRAMENTO, Calif., June 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY) company, recently completed its final J-2X test series at NASA's Stennis Space Center.

Over a period of three years, Aerojet Rocketdyne teams manufactured, assembled and tested four newly developed engine test articles that achieved an accumulated duration of nearly five hours firing time and demonstrated full power operation for twice its designed life service. Delivering 30 percent more thrust and five percent more performance than the J-2 Apollo-era engine, upon which it is based, the J-2X is the highest performing human-rated upper-stage engine to be developed in nearly 40 years.

"With J-2X, we were able to drive down the time needed to take a new rocket engine to 100 percent power level in testing, from 651 days to just 29, by integrating modern design, analysis and test practices with decades of experience gained on multiple engine development programs," said Aerojet Rocketdyne President Warren M. Boley, Jr. "That kind of knowledge isn't retained anywhere else in the industry and it demonstrates that we know how to design an engine that will work the first time."

The J-2X is a liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen fueled engine that is designed to start at altitude and re-start in space as part of a second or third stage of a large, multi-stage launch vehicle. With its full nozzle extension installed, the J-2X measures more than 15 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter at its base and weighs approximately 5,400 pounds. With a vacuum thrust of 294,000 lbs., the engine is designed to help loft heavy payloads—such as habitats, landers and in-space modules—beyond low-Earth orbit.

"We had to modernize the J-2 engine to increase its power level and performance, so we had a good challenge on our hands," said Aerojet Rocketdyne's J-2X Director and Program Manager, Walt Janowski. "No part of this engine went untouched. We looked closely at each part to make sure it met modern standards and human-rated requirements."

The completed J-2X testing provides direct benefits to Aerojet Rocketdyne's RS-25 test program, including understanding performance of the test stands and implementing new methods to record and interpret engine performance data. The RS-25 engines also feature a modernized engine controller, successfully demonstrated on J-2X, for controlling start and shutdown valve sequencing and health monitoring control functions.

The J-2X engine is one of several options being considered to power the upper stage of NASA's future 130-metric-ton Space Launch System (SLS). The only vehicle with the mass, volume and speed required for human missions beyond low-Earth orbit, SLS will launch crew and cargo to deep space destinations.

/.../

ЦитироватьEnthusiasm wanes for quick start to new engine program
BY STEPHEN CLARK[
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: July 7, 2014

 
With the Obama administration, NASA and industry leaders preaching caution -- and no sign Russian rocket engine exports will end -- the rush to replace the Russian RD-180 engine used to power billions of dollars of U.S. military and scientific research satellites into space has cooled in recent weeks.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234786.jpg)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral. Credit: United Launch Alliance
 
 

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Bills drawn up in both houses of Congress include funding lines to kick-start development of new rocket engine, but Congress has not sent a budget bill to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature.
There is no sign of an imminent cutoff to the supply of Russian rocket engines, despite a proclamation from Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin in May that engine exports for U.S. military satellite launches would end.
Rogozin made the announcement in a May 13 press conference, but U.S. officials have said a shipment of two RD-180 engines is due to arrive in the United States in August with no indication of any legal, logistical or regulatory hurdles.
The RD-180 engine powers the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, one of two launchers that put the bulk of the U.S. government's national security payloads into orbit.
Despite bipartisan agreement in the House and Senate, which proposed funneling millions of dollars into an engine development program beginning next year to eventually replace the RD-180, the White House's Office of Management and Budget released a policy statement June 17 calling for a more measured approach to the propulsion predicament.
The White House statement was released in response to the House Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2015, which includes $220 million set aside for rocket engine development. The Senate version of the Defense Department's fiscal year 2015 budget includes $100 million for a similar purpose.
Legislators still have to work out the differences in the bills before sending it to President Obama to be signed into law.
"This approach prematurely commits significant resources and would not reduce our reliance on Russian engines for at least a decade," officials wrote in the White House policy statement.
Defense authorization bills penned by the House and Senate direct the Pentagon to work with NASA to jointly manage the engine development under a commercial procurement scheme.
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden used similar language as the White House policy paper in a June 18 exchange with reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"I think it's premature to think about a new rocket engine," Bolden said. "We've been discussing this quite a bit ... Our focus is on access to space. How do we provide routine, reliable access to space?"
Bolden said it is up to industry to provide transportation for missions to low Earth orbit, citing the space agency's agreements with companies flying resupply missions to the International Space Station as an example of a successful partnership between government and industry.
"When you get focused on a specific engine, you may ask yourself then, OK, what vehicle are you going to put it on and everything else? NASA's approach is let's focus on access to space," Bolden said.
The White House cited a recent study commissioned by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that concluded it would take up to eight years and cost up to $1.5 billion to design and test a new rocket engine in the same class as the Russian-built RD-180, which uses an efficient closed-cycle staged combustion architecture and generates 860,000 pounds of thrust at sea level.
The Defense Department study committee -- including incumbent and retired officials from NASA, the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office -- wrote in a summary report obtained by Spaceflight Now that it would cost up to $3 billion to field a new launch vehicle to use the U.S.-made engine.
The panel recommended the U.S. government begin paying companies to develop a new engine.
Built near Moscow by NPO Energomash, the RD-180 engine is fueled by RP-1, a grade of highly-refined kerosene, and cryogenic liquid oxygen. There is no U.S.-built hydrocarbon-fueled engine in the same performance class as the RD-180.
ULA's other rocket, the Delta 4, has a hydrogen-fueled U.S.-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engine on its first stage.
Instead of launching full-scale development in fiscal year 2015, which begins Oct. 1, the Obama administration says it is "evaluating several cost-effective options including public-private partnerships with multiple awards that will drive innovation, stimulate the industrial base, and reduce costs through competition."
The paper said the White House's policy is aimed at "promptly reducing our reliance on Russian technology," adding it will work with Congress once the White House completes its analysis of the engine issue.
United Launch Alliance announced in June it is spending internal funds for "early studies" on a U.S.-built hydrocarbon-fueled alternative to the RD-180 engine.
Michael Gass, ULA's president and CEO, said the company's contracts with multiple U.S. rocket engine builders will help officials refine concepts for rocket engines and a potential new launch vehicle to use the U.S. replacement for the RD-180.
"To just design an engine without looking at the systems effect to understand the market, [and] the satellites, and optimize around that is foolhardy," Gass said. "You've got to have some end goal in mind when you design a propulsion system for a launch vehicle, so we're making sure we do that."
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234788.jpg)
File photo of Michael Gass, ULA's president and CEO. Credit: Space Foundation
 
 The results of the studies will "mature" the technical concepts for new U.S.-built engine options, plus help ULA make the business case for continued investment by providing cost estimates.
"All of the money we're spending today is to position ourselves to respond to our own business needs, as well as potentially working with the government in doing something that we all support, which is to move to state-of-the-art propulsion technology in this country," Gass said.
ULA has not identified which companies it is paying for the propulsion studies. The company is looking at single- and dual-engine concepts for the first stage of a new launch vehicle based on the Atlas 5, Gass said.
"When you change main propulsion, everything above changes," Gass said. "We always have a little joke between us and the propulsion houses: Which is the chicken and which is the egg?"
Gass stressed the importance of continuing the Atlas rocket line, even if it comes with a new main engine and has a "new name or new model number."
"The beauty of the Atlas and Delta product is that it has that [nearly] 120-year heritage," Gass said. "All that experience, all that knowledge is embedded in our system design and expertise, so we would want to make sure that we continue to emphasize that when we put forward a product, it's coming with all that heritage."
Gass estimated it would take five-to-seven years to develop a new engine, depending on funding and technical risks.
If ULA selects a new engine, engineers could introduce the powerplant in evolutionary upgrades to the Atlas rocket while continuing to fly RD-180 engines on the legacy model of the Atlas 5.
ULA could opt to keep using RD-180 engines, even though Gass says company officials "believe now is the right time for a domestic investment" in a U.S. alternative.
Officials said ULA faces a deadline some time next year to decide whether to extend its RD-180 engine contract with RD AMROSS, a joint venture between United Technologies Corp. and NPO Energomash.
There are currently 15 RD-180 engines in the United States, with 29 more engines due to arrive from Russia through 2017. A decision on a contract extension is needed next year to ensure no gap in engine deliveries in 2018 and beyond.
"From our perspective, we are covering all bases, and putting plans in place to address any potential outcome," Gass said. "We are fully committed to putting in place a near-term, mid-term and long- term plan to continue to launch our reliable Atlas 5 into the next decade and beyond."
SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said she favors public investment in propulsion technologies, but not a traditional government procurement of a new engine.
SpaceX is working on sub-scale hardware for a methane-fueled million-pound thrust Raptor engine, but the company has not publicly disclosed when the engine could be ready for flight tests.
According to Shotwell, SpaceX is moving away from kerosene-fueled engines like the Merlin powerplant on the Falcon 9 rocket. For higher-thrust engines in the class of the RD-180, SpaceX wants to switch to methane fuel and liquid oxygen.
"I don't know whether that's exactly the right choice," Shotwell said, referring to building an engine to directly replace the RD-180. "Investing in liquid propulsion technologies is a great choice for sure, certainly on components that can be used to build whatever engine the propulsion community finds a market for."
Shotwell said SpaceX would be interested in government funding for early-phase risk reduction projects. In a similar vein, SpaceX received $396 million from NASA to go along with private capital to design and demonstrate the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station.
"I think investing in the community is a great idea," Shotwell said. "I'd like to see it more on the component development -- technology development -- side," Shotwell said.
She said elements of SpaceX's Raptor engine could be applied to other propulsion projects.
"There are so many questions unanswered," Gass said, responding to a question on the White House's policy statement on liquid-fueled propulsion. "What's the acquisition strategy? What's the approach? What's the definition of a public-private partnership?"
ULA is advocating for a long-term strategy, accounting for market demand with an eye toward a next-generation launcher that could incorporate a new U.S.-built liquid-fueled engine, assuming such a propulsion system is built.
"It shouldn't be a field of dreams kind of approach, [assuming] if you build it they will come," Gass said.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234787.jpg)
File photo of an Atlas 5 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Credit: United Launch Alliance
 
 "You can build an engine and totally miss the mark in terms of our national security needs," Gass said. "So there's a right sort of reticence. Let's not just jump off on an engine."
Gass described a public-private partnership that would innovate and stimulate technological advancements as a "right first step."
But he said officials eventually must decide on an approach and a new engine design, whether its development is funded primarily through government or private money.
"You can't have hundreds of options," Gass said. "I'll remind people this is a worldwide market, and it's not [just] companies competing. In some cases, it's country versus country, and we as a nation need to use our investment smartly."
ULA is lobbying for a government investment in domestic engine technologies, but the rocket maker is lobbying against an abrupt stop to the use of Russian RD-180 engines, a position favored by Sen. John McCain, who ins erted language in to a Senate bill to prohibit new engine purchases from Russia for national security satellite launches.
"You wouldn't want to cut it off before a new engine is certified," Gass said. "There are some people that are trying to encourage the nation to just have a date certain [to stop using RD-180 engines]. A date certain leads to potentially wrong decisions or inefficient use of investment dollars."
While ULA says it is willing to spearhead development a new rocket engine with private funds -- if there is a business case. Gass cautioned the "risk-averse" nature of commercial endeavors could lead companies to avoid more challenging engine concepts that could lead to innovations in efficiency, cost, or components.
"We're not afraid of doing it as a fully [commercial] investment if that's what is necessary to meet the market, but obviously that's a more challenging business case," Gass said. "It will also drive the nation to potentially less advancement in propulsion technology."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьThe full text of the panel's spending bill has not yet been released. But the measure also includes $25 million for work on a new rocket engine, according to a July 15 press release from the committee. One of ULA's two main rockets, the Atlas 5, is powered by a Russian-built engine whose availability has come into question following Russia's incursion into neighboring Ukraine.
"America's access to space should not depend on a state-owned foreign [company], which has dreams of empire at the cost of its innocent neighbors," Durbin said.
The $25 million figure is significantly less than has been recommended by other congressional defense committees. 
The House of Representatives has approved $220 million for a similar program in authorization and funding bills. The Senate Armed Services Committee, meanwhile, set aside $100 million for a new engine in its version of the defense authorization bill.
The White House has cautioned against rushing to develop a new rocket engine and estimated that such a project could cost $4.5 billion and take eight years.
 
Follow Mike on Twitter: @Gruss_SN (http://twitter.com/Gruss_SN)

ЦитироватьSpace shuttle relics ready to roar again in Mississippi
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 3, 2014
 
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. -- The space shuttle's hydrogen-fueled rocket engines will soon roar again after receiving upgrades to fly on the Space Launch System, a heavy-lifting mega-rocket NASA hopes will take astronauts on journeys farther than humans have ever traveled.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234789.jpg)
An RS-25 engine is installed on a test stand in Mississippi to begin testing for NASA's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket. Credit: NASA
 

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The first unmanned SLS flight is set for the end of 2017, at the earliest, but testing is already beginning to wring out the rocket's engines.
Each Space Launch System flight will use four of the space shuttle main engines on its core stage. Two strap-on rocket boosters, derived from the solid rocket motors that flew on the space shuttle, will help the massive launch vehicle get off the ground.
Astronauts will strap into an Orion capsule on top of the second SLS flight around 2021, launching a crew beyond low Earth orbit for the first time since 1972. The mission could visit a captured asteroid near the moon, assuming NASA's proposed asteroid retrieval mission is technically and politically successful by then.
With an initial version capable of lifting 70 tons into low Earth orbit -- and rockets producing 8.4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff -- the Space Launch System will be the most powerful booster ever built, according to NASA.
NASA kept parts for 16 shuttle rocket engines after the program's last mission in 2011. Officials shipped the powerplants from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Stennis Space Center, NASA's primary rocket engine test facility in southern Mississippi, for storage and upgrades for the Space Launch System.
In parallel with the engine modifications, construction crews are beefing up a mammoth test stand at Stennis for the most powerful liquid-fueled rocket engine test firing conducted in the United States in nearly 50 years.
Some time in 2016, the massive core stage of the first SLS vehicle will be hoisted into the test stand for at least two "mission duty cycle" test firings, each lasting more than 8 minutes with four rocket engines, sending a thunderous sound wave across southwest Mississippi.
But engineers first plan a series of single-engine ground test firings to check out the upgraded space shuttle main engines. When fitted with upgrades for SLS flights, the engines are called RS-25s.
The first such engine was mounted on the A-1 test stand here July 17, kicking off a multi-year campaign aimed at ensuring the Space Launch System's main stage propulsion system is ready for flight.
The used powerplant, designated Engine No. 0525, is a pathfinder for SLS flight engines that will be tested here.
Engine No. 0525 will never fly. It is a holdover from the space shuttle program, which used it for checkouts of new components before they were introduced for real launches.
The engine has a similar purpose for the Space Launch System.
"It's going to get a new engine control unit installed on it, and the main objective of the test series that we're going to run is to test out this new controller," said Gary Benton, NASA's RS-25 rocket engine test project manager. "It will be on stand for four, five or six months, or however long it takes to get through the test series. There will be two of these engineering model controllers that get tested, and that will lead to the design of the new controllers that are actually going to fly."
Benton said the engine will start "hotfire" testing about six-to-eight weeks after it was moved to the test stand.
The primary change to the shuttle-era engines is a new controller, a computer avionics box that is similar to units already used on the RS-68 engine, a disposable hydrogen-fueled powerplant built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the same company that holds the RS-25 contract with NASA.
"We can save money there and have a common supplier building these parts for multiple engines," Benton said.
Supplied by Honeywell, the controller is the brain of the engine, serving as the intermediary between the rocket's flight computer and the engine's myriad parts.
"It's actually telling the engine valves what position to be in, how fast to open or close," Benton said. "It's looking at sensors on the engine and determining what it needs to do. It's controlling everything on the engine -- purges, valve positions, all that kind of stuff."
The RS-25 engine generates 418,000 pounds of thrust at maximum power at sea level, according to Aerojet Rocketdyne's website. The engines consume cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.
If all goes according to plan, the sound of a shuttle main engine should again reverberate across the pine forests here by the fall.
"We're excited to get back into testing," Benton said. "It's a very powerful engine, and we're ready to get back into testing them again."
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234791.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Space Launch System. Credit: NASA
 
 Engine No. 0525 will complete several full-duration firings -- each nearly 9 minutes long -- to check out the two engine controllers, along with new flow meters and other hardware upgrades installed on the A-1 test stand since the end of the space shuttle program.
"All of the tests planned are full-duration tests. Those will tests of 500-some odd seconds with over 4,000 seconds planned total," Benton said.
Then engineers will install each of the four engines slated to fly on the first Space Launch System mission into the A-1 test stand for a series of acceptance tests to verify they are ready for flight.
The engines assigned to the first SLS mission, called Exploration Mission-1, powered space shuttle crews into orbit on more than a dozen flights.
The engines tapped for the first SLS mission, including their flight heritage, are:

[/li]
• Engine No. 2060 -- (STS-127; STS-131; STS-135)
• Engine No. 2058 -- (STS-116; STS-120; STS-124; STS-119; STS-129; STS-133)
• Engine No. 2045 -- (STS-89; STS-92; STS-102; STS-105; STS-110; STS-113; STS-121; STS-118; STS-127; STS-131; STS-135)
• Engine No. 2056 -- (STS-104, STS-109, STS-114; STS-121)
  

The 16 space shuttle engines are in storage in a climate-controlled Aerojet Rocketdyne facility at Stennis. The engines rest inside shipping containers and on mobile dollies.
Before each engine goes on the test stand, technicians will add the new Honeywell controller and put the engine through a thorough inspection. Benton said each engine will be ignited on the test stand about six times before being cleared for flight.
Once they pass testing, the engines will be transported to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans for integration with the Space Launch System's Boeing-built core stage.
Fifteen of the engines are mostly intact, and parts exist to assemble a 16th engine -- designated Engine No. 2063 -- to have enough powerplants for four SLS missions.
At NASA's current budget, officials expect the fourth SLS mission to fly in the mid-2020s.
Because the Space Launch System is not reusable like the space shuttle, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne will have to restart the engine production line for later missions.
While technicians work on the RS-25 engines, construction crews have descended on an Apollo-era test stand here to make the facility ready for an all-up eight-minute firing of the Space Launch System's core stage in 2016.
The B-2 test stand is surrounded by pine thickets and has canal access to receive the 27.6-foot-diameter SLS core stage.
The budget for the restoration project is approximately $100 million, according to Bryon Maynard, lead systems engineer for the B-2 test stand. So far, he said, the rehabilitation effort is running about 25 percent under budget.
The huge concrete facility is divided into two parts. The B-1 side is leased to Aerojet Rocketdyne for test firings of every RS-68 engine produced here before delivery to United Launch Alliance for Delta 4 flights. Engineers used the B-2 half of the test stand for firings of the Saturn 5 moon rocket's first stage in the 1960s, full-up tests of the space shuttle's three-engine main propulsion system in the 1970s, and qualification of the Delta 4's cryogenic core stage in the early 2000s.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234790.jpg)
The B-1/B-2 test stand at Stennis. The left half of the facility is leased to Aerojet Rocketdyne for testing of the Delta 4 rocket's RS-68 engine, and the right side is being restored for Space Launch System testing. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
 
 Maynard said The B-2 stand has rusted and deteriorated since it was last used more than a decade ago in support of the development of the Delta 4 launcher.
NASA built the facility in the 1960s, and it is strong enough for rocket engine tests of up to 11 million pounds of thrust. The Saturn 5's first stage produced 7.5 million pounds of thrust, and four RS-25 engines with the Space Launch System core will generate nearly 1.7 million pounds of thrust at sea level.
Construction is due to wrap up by January 2016, according to Maynard, when the test stand will be ready to receive the SLS first stage.
The "green run" testing of the Space Launch System core vehicle will include three phases. First, teams will fill the stage with cryogenic super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in a wet dress rehearsal. Then the rocket's four engines will be fired twice for approximately 500 seconds, the expected duration they will burn during a real launch.
The base of the rocket will be suspended 105 feet above the ground. With a height of 200 feet, the stage will stand 30 stories above the forested Mississippi coastal plains.
During the test stand restoration project, workers will move a behemoth 1.2 million-pound metal structure and upgrade and extend a heavy-lifting crane. Crews already replaced a device called an aspirator, which cools down the super-heated air around the engine plume during a test firing.
If the first SLS liftoff remains set for late 2017, the core stage will need to arrive at Stennis in 2016.
In a money-saving move, NASA opted not to construct a ground test article of the SLS first stage. The vehicle to be tested in Mississippi will next go to Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.
That is one reason why engineers plan a limited test series on the SLS core stage: to avoid excess wear-and-tear on the rocket that will fly.
KSC launch teams will travel to Stennis to participate in the ground tests in a familiarization exercise to hone countdown procedures ahead of the first flight.
The SLS green run test will be the most powerful ground firing of liquid-fueled rocket engines since 1970, when testing ended on the Saturn 5.
"When you stand out there and we fire it, you're going to feel it in your chest," Maynard said.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1 (http://www.twitter.com/stephenclark1/).

ЦитироватьRussian RD-180 rocket engines delivered to ULA
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 20, 2014
   
Dodging tit-for-tat sanctions that have paralyzed trade between the United States and Russia, a cargo plane landed in Alabama on Wednesday with two Russian-made RD-180 engines destined to power U.S. government spacecraft into orbit aboard Atlas 5 rockets.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234792.jpg)
File photo of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket powered by an RD-180 engine. Credit: United Launch Alliance
 
 

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The engines flew from Moscow to Huntsville, Ala., aboard a Russian Antonov An-124 transport plane. Workers planned to unload the engines for a road trip to United Launch Alliance's rocket factory in nearby Decatur, Ala.
The shipment marked the first time RD-180 engines were delivered to the United States since a senior Russian government official threatened to cut off the supply of engines for launches for the U.S. military, the primary customer for United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket.
"Today, United Launch Alliance received two RD-180 engines at our factory in Decatur, Alabama, that will support critical near-term U.S. missions," said Jessica Rye, a ULA spokesperson, in a written statement. "We expect another shipment of three engines later this year."
RD-180 engines have flown 54 times since 2000 with a perfect record, including 48 launches of the Atlas 5 rocket.
Manufactured by NPO Energomash near Moscow, the dual-nozzle engines consume rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants. The engines produce 860,000 pounds of thrust at sea level and use an efficient closed-cycle staged combustion architecture.
No hydrocarbon-fueled rocket engine currently produced in the United States matches the performance of the RD-180 engine.
ULA's other rocket, the Delta 4, has a hydrogen-fueled U.S.-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 engine on its first stage.
A statement in May by Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin, charged with overseeing the Russian space and defense industries, raised doubts about future deliveries of RD-180 engines to the United States.
Responding to U.S. government sanctions targeting individuals with ties to the government of Vladimir Putin in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea, Rogozin proclaimed in a May 13 press conference that shipments of RD-180 engines for U.S. military satellite launches would end.
Rogozin was also named in a lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force by ULA competitor SpaceX, which is asking a federal judge to overturn an $11 billion sole-source contract signed between ULA and the Defense Department. SpaceX says it could launch many U.S. national security payloads at less cost than ULA.
SpaceX claimed that Rogozin personally profited from the sale of RD-180 engines to the United States. Rogozin denied the allegation.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234793.jpg)
File photo of an Atlas 5 first stage with an RD-180 engine. Credit: NASA/KSC
 
 A federal judge issued a temporary injunction banning future purchases of RD-180 engines by ULA or the Air Force, but she rescinded the order a week later after U.S. government officials assured the court that the transactions did not violate sanctions against Russia.
Rogozin's announcement that RD-180 engine exports would end was apparently not carried out in official Russian government policy. ULA and Air Force officials since May have repeatedly said their relationship with the Atlas 5's Russian propulsion suppliers was unchanged.
Former ULA president and CEO Michael Gass, who resigned as chief executive last week, said in June that production and deliveries of RD-180 engines would be accelerated at ULA's request.
Three more RD-180 engines are scheduled to arrive in the United States this fall, with at least an additional six engines due for delivery in 2015, Gass said.
After Wednesday's delivery, ULA has 15 RD-180 engines in its inventory in the United States. Another 27 RD-180 engines are on order with shipments scheduled through 2017.
ULA's contract for the engines is with RD AMROSS, a joint venture between NPO Energomash and United Technologies Corp.
United Launch Alliance announced in June it is spending internal funds for "early studies" on a U.S.-built hydrocarbon-fueled alternative to the RD-180 engine.
Officials said the company's study contracts with multiple U.S. rocket engine builders will help officials refine concepts for rocket engines and a potential new launch vehicle to use the U.S. replacement for the RD-180.
"While the RD-180 has been a remarkable success, we believe now is the right time to invest in a domestic engine, which is why we announced earlier this year that we have begun feasibility studies with multiple companies to build a new engine in the next five years," ULA said in a statement Wednesday.
"The U.S. government also recently made clear that it supports investment in a domestic engine and we look forward to participating in the development of that public-private partnership," ULA said in a statement.

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ЦитироватьU.S. Air Force Solicits Information on New Rocket Engine
By Mike Gruss | Aug. 21, 2014
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155373.jpg)
Amid heightened tensions with Russia, the Defense Department has been making preliminary preparations for life without the RD-180, which powers the first stage of United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: NASA photo
 
WASHINGTON — On the same day two Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines arrived in Alabama from Moscow, the U.S. Air Force issued a request for information on the possibility of weaning itself from those very engines.
Amid heightened tensions with Russia, the Defense Department has been making preliminary preparations for life without the RD-180, which powers the first stage of United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket, one of two the company uses to launch military and other government satellites.   
The request for information, posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website (https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6900cbd5088703bad8a5a5e6862e7a55&tab=core&_cview=0) Aug. 20, is a step in that direction.

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"The Government is seeking insight into booster propulsion and/or launch system materiel options that could deliver cost-effective, commercially-viable solutions for current and future National Security Space launch requirements," the solicitation from Air Force Space Command says. "The Air Force needs this information to inform near term decisions about how to best ensure that future launch requirements are fulfilled by reliable, commercially-viable sources."
Companies are being asked to respond by Sept. 19 to 35 questions. Among them: "What solution would you recommend to replace the capability currently provided by the RD-180 engine?"
Air Force officials have told Congress they only have a broad idea of how to replace the RD-180. Estimates of the investment in money and time necessary to field an American-built alternative vary widely.
Congress, meanwhile, is preparing bills that would fund a full-scale engine development program starting next year; the White House is advocating a more deliberate approach that begins with an examination of applicable technologies.
In the request for information, the Air Force says it is open to a variety of options including an RD-180 facsimile, a new design, and alternative configurations featuring multiple engines, and even a brand new rocket.
The Air Force is also trying to decide on the best acquisition approach. Options include a traditional acquisition or a shared investment as part of a public-private partnership. 
The service is planning to host industry representatives for presentations on the potential development program Sept. 25 and Sept. 26. 
Aside from securing its own launch capabilities, the Air Force hopes to stimulate the development of a more robust domestic commercial propulsion industry. Employment in the U.S. propulsion sector has declined in recent years, especially following the retirement of NASA's space shuttle.
The RD-180 is built by RSC Energomash of Russia and sold to Denver-based ULA by RD Amross, a joint venture of Energomash and United Technologies Corp.  When that arrangement was set up during the 1990s, the idea was to eventually set up a U.S. production line for the hardware.
However, the U.S. production line never materialized due in large part to cost considerations. 
Russia has threatened to restrict RD-180 exports to the United States in retaliation for U.S. sanctions levied on certain Russian government officials following that country's incursions into Ukraine. However, ULA says that engine deliveries continue without interruption, the latest evidence being the arrival Aug. 20 of two RD-180s at the rocket maker's Decatur, Alabama, manufacturing plant (http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41622ula-takes-delivery-of-two-rd-180-rocket-engines-from-russia). 
That delivery brings to 15 the number of RD-180 engines in the United States. ULA is expecting delivery of 27 additional engines through 2017 under its current contract with RD Amross. 
"We expect another shipment of three engines later this year," ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye said.
A 2015 defense authorization bill drafted in the U.S. Senate would prohibit U.S. space companies from entering new contracts or renewing existing contracts for launch vehicle supplies from Russia.

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ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne To 3-D Print Rocket Engine Parts under Air Force Demo
By Warren Ferster | Aug. 21, 2014
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155360.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne is expected to use the additive manufacturing technique, also known as 3-D printing, of selective laser melting (SLM) to manufacture large rocket engine parts. Credit: NASA/MSFC photo by Emmett Given
 
WASHINGTON — Aerojet Rocketdyne will demonstrate the use of additive manufacturing techniques to produce sel ected, full-scale rocket engine components under a Defense Production Act (DPA) Title 3 contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the company announced Aug. 20.
The contract is valued at $11.75 million over a three-year period, according to Jeffrey K. Smith, executive agent program manager for DPA Title 3, a Pentagon-wide initiative to develop affordable and commercially viable manufacturing capabilities for critical defense hardware. The program is housed at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

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In a written response to questions, Smith said Aerojet Rocketdyne is expected to establish and demonstrate "a domestic production capability to manufacture large rocket engine parts using selective laser melting (SLM) technology that pass the key performance parameter criteria and quality requirements."
As part of the contract Aerojet Rocketdyne will purchase and install SLM machines that will be used to build the components, Smith said. The company is expected to achieve that milestone during the second quarter of calendar year 2015, he said.
SLM is one of a number of additive manufacturing — also known as 3-D printing — techniques used to build hardware from 3-D designs using a layering process. The relatively new manufacturing process is being evaluated closely in the space industry as a way to bring down costs.
The SLM technique in particular uses a laser to melt, in sel ected areas, powdered metal that has been spread out on a flat bed. The process is repeated over and over on fresh new layers of metal powder until the desired object is created from the melted and fused material.
In a written response to questions, Jeff Haynes, additive manufacturing program manager at Sacramento, California-based Aerojet Rocketdyne, said the company will replicate parts of its operational RS-68 and RL-10 engines under the contract. The RS-68 is the main engine on United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 rocket, which along with the company's Atlas 5 launches most U.S. military and other government satellites. The RL-10 is an upper-stage engine, variants of which are used on both the Atlas 5 and Delta 4.
"These parts will demonstrate dimensional and structural capability to meet the demands of" the current traditionally manufactured parts, Haynes said. "Some parts will have improved performance characteristics which will be analytically measured based on the manufacturing approach applied."
The process, Haynes said, will be evaluated for its ability to lower the cost of producing engines.
Haynes said the company will use government funds to procure the necessary machinery, and share in the cost of developing and demonstrating the additive  manufacturing process for major engine components.
The program will require SLM manufacturing machines that are bigger than those that are widely available today, Aerojet Rocketdyne said in the press release.
Aerojet Rocketdyne visited leading SLM manufacturers in Germany in 2010 to evaluate the scaling potential of their machines, Haynes said. He said Aerojet Rocketdyne has already procured one scaled-up machine from Concept Laser GmbH and expects to take delivery in September. Plans call for buying two more from Concept Laser and one from EOS GmbH using funds fr om the latest Title 3 contract, he said. 
"These are still very 'developmental' in nature and we expect to encounter some challenges along the way as we scale up these parts to much larger sizes," Haynes said. "We are not simply planning to turn them on and push buttons to print parts."
In the press release, Aerojet Rocketdyne said it would demonstrate nickel, copper and aluminum alloys under the contract to produce parts ranging fr om simple ducts to heat exchangers. "The program scope is expected to replace the need for castings, forgings, plating, machining, brazing and welding," the company said.

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ЦитироватьEngine Makers Pushing AM, Other Technologies For RD-180 Replacement
RD-180 prototype replacement could be ready to test in 2.5 years
 
Sep 15, 2014
Frank Morring, Jr. and Amy Butler | Aviation Week & Space Technology
 
Risk Reduction
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100724.jpg)

Related Media
 

[/li]
• Podcast: U.S. Scrambles To Develop New Rocket Engine In Wake Of Disagreements With Russia (http://aviationweek.com/blog/podcast-us-scrambles-develop-new-rocket-engine-wake-disagreements-russia)
  

A version of this article appears in the September 15 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Rocket-engine developments that evolved fr om preparations for an advanced strap-on booster to lift the largest version of the planned Space Launch System (SLS) could push a prototype 500,000-lb.-thrust U.S. replacement for Russia's RD-180 to the test stand in 2.5 years, contractors say.
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100735.jpg)
The single-bell AR-1 kerosene-fueled engine would generate 500,000 lb. thrust and could be twinned for twice the capacity. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne Concept

Спойлер

Dynetics and Aerojet (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=2026112) Rocketdyne (AJR) have joined forces on risk-reduction work growing out of NASA (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=19991)'s SLS advanced booster program and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Hydrocarbon Boost effort. The goal is to hasten the AR-1 hydrocarbon-fueled rocket engine being proposed by AJR in hopes that Congress and the Pentagon (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=29172) will decide to go all-out on a U.S. powerplant for national security space launch in place of the RD-180.
Congressional defense committees have indicated a willingness to begin funding development of a large hydrocarbon rocket, given uncertainty over long-term availability of the RD-180 in the sanctions war over Russian ambitions in Ukraine. The Air Force is polling industry on options for a replacement engine, and the Dynetics/AJR work—so far only with NASA (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=19991) funding—is providing some of the answers.
"We think a risk-reduction program preceding full-scale development is the way to go to get you the fastest route to a real engine for the lowest cost," says Steve Cook, a former top-level NASA rocket propulsion engineering manager at Marshall Space Flight Center (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=12090) who has been director of corporate development at Dynetics for the past five years.
To that end, Dynetics and AJR have merged their work for NASA and the Air Force in hydrocarbon rocket technology. The new technologies could remove some of the uncertainty that would go into replacing the 860,000-lb.-thrust RD-180 manufactured in Russia by NPO Energomash with the proposed AR-1 (see artist's concept), a 500,000-lb.-thrust oxidizer-rich, staged-combustion engine that could be twinned for vehicles requiring more thrust.
That would include the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, currently the launch vehicle of choice for high-value U.S. national security payloads and potentially the next U.S. human launch vehicle as well. As the U.S. and its allies spar with Russia over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, support for a long-discussed but never-funded U.S. alternative to the RD-180 has been growing (AW&ST May 26, p. 22).
Cook says advance risk-reduction work enabled a tenfold reduction in the time it took for the J-2X engine to reach 100% power in hot-fire testing compared to the RS-68. The J-2X reached full power 29 days after testing started, he says. In the late 1990s, it took the RS-68 320 days to reach the milestone. 
"Risk reduction has real, tangible benefits and will save us years in schedule," says Cook, who was project manager on the Ares launch-vehicle development that was paced by the J-2X upper-stage engine development. "Our estimate is 2-3 years off schedule and several hundred million dollars in cost, because if you get those key risk areas knocked down to a reasonable level, and you understand the affordability equation, when you make your full-scale development decision, you've got a lot more data, so you're a lot smarter. And when you get going on full-scale acquisition, you're not trying to understand the technology challenges."
Scott Seymour, president and CEO of AJR parent GenCorp, says the rocket-engine company is targeting a full-production cost of $20-25 million for each two-engine shipset of AR-1s, with a development cost of $800 million to $1 billion over four years after a contract award (AW&ST June 12, p. 33). Technologies developed in the risk-reduction work by Dynetics and AJR include additive manufacturing (AM) of injectors and other engine elements, new alloys and new nozzle technology.
Materials engineers at AJR have developed a set of alloys they have trademarked as "Mondaloy" that combines high strength with resistance to burning, making them particularly useful in the oxygen-rich, high-pressure environments that would be found inside the AR-1 and other oxidizer-rich, staged-combustion rockets. The alloys offer cost and reliability advantages over the coatings used to protect components inside the RD-180, also an oxidizer-rich, staged-combustion engine, according to Paul Meyer, senior vice president for advanced programs and business development at AJR.
"We've been characterizing the application of Mondaloy inside that thrust chamber itself," Meyer says. "We don't have the normal erosion associated with that oxygen-rich environment. It gives us some reliability. It gives us endurance capability, and it also allows us to reduce some weight. It also helps us from a manufacturing perspective."
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100736.jpg)
A gas generator test was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center as part of risk-reduction work underway for the advanced hydrocarbon rocket engine that could replace Russia's RD-180. Credit: NASA

AM is also playing into the risk-reduction work by the two companies. Dynetics and AJR predecessor Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne used NASA funding under the $37 million Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and Risk Reduction (Abedrr) project to study what it would take to resurrect the F-1 Saturn V main engine for the strap-on boosters intended to bring the SLS to the 130-metric-ton capacity mandated by Congress (AW&ST Jan. 21, 2013, p. 20).
While NASA shelved that effort—at least temporarily—in favor of developing a new upper stage for a 105-ton version of the heavy-lift rocket, Dynetics conducted gas-generator hot-fire tests (see photo) and worked with AJR to build engine components, including an F-1 injector, using AM.
"We built and we're getting ready to test an additive-manufactured rocket engine injector at the 30,000-lb. class," says Cook. "The injector itself is the 30,000-lb.-thrust class. Typically, that would have taken 15 months to build. We did it in 15 days."
The work is continuing at AJR under a separate Air Force cost-sharing contract that the company is using to build and test engine parts made from various materials with large-scale laser-melting AM (AW&ST Aug. 25, p. 12).
"The role model we have is the RL-10, and the RL-10 [program] is actually building space-qualified hardware right now and delivering that hardware for the fundamental testing that will go into hot-fire tests in the first quarter of 2017," says AJR's Meyer. "So it's the pathfinder for what we want to do on AR-1. We've already qualified Inconel 65; we're finishing qualification in titanium, and we're expanding our capacity—although not necessarily for AR-1—into copper."
Use of designs from the RL-10—a hydrogen-fueled, upper-stage engine that dates to the early 1960s but is still in use today—as well as the F-1 and the Saturn V J-2 upper-stage engine that formed the basis for the J-2X illustrates how the two companies are taking advantage of heritage technology to hasten development of the AR-1. So far, the saber-rattling along the Ukrainian-Russian border has not had an appreciable effect on the supply of RD-180 engines for the Atlas V, but the Air Force is moving to position itself to begin a new-engine development as early as fiscal 2016.
Based on its request for information issued Aug. 20, which includes a question about a "shared-investment path" that would require industry to help foot the development bill, the Air Force has scheduled an "initial industry day" at its Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles Sept. 25-26. There, company representatives can meet one-on-one with government contracting specialists to present their ideas. Top-level briefings to Defense Department civilians are tentatively scheduled for late next month, and the House Armed Services Committee has authorized the transfer of $26.8 million to keep the process moving despite concern over "the lack of clarity in an acquisition strategy moving forward."
Dynetics and AJR, which combined their NASA and Air Force risk-reduction contracts last year with Dynetics as the prime contractor under the NASA-funded effort, will present the resulting findings as a team, Meyer says.
"We have looked at taking the combination of the two [risk-reduction efforts] and using the testing that will occur in the Abedrr program and lining that up with our Hydrocarbon Boost [Air Force Research Laboratory] contract," he says. "So we've offered the Air Force, as a team, how we could maximize that government investment to date, that industry investment to date, into a plan that would provide the least amount of risk to a 2019 engine."
The two companies believe a prototype AR-1 could be a fast-track route to replacing the RD-180, given a decision to begin development. With the work they have already done, Cook says, the engineering path ahead is clear.
"If you look at the major risks that we've got to go knock down in order to bring a new RD-180 engine replacement into play, the biggest risk is main combustion stability," he says. The plan would build on component level work in moving up to the subsystem level, focusing on ensuring combustion stability in the concept, building a full-scale main injector and testing it to "make sure it works like we want it to," Cook says.
With an injector in hand, the next step would be the turbomachinery. "We've got to have high-performance turbomachinery," he says. "It's staged-combustion, oxygen-rich, so we have to deal with the oxygen compatibility issues. We have to deal with integrating that turbomachinery in the right-sized package, and then putting that together in a powerpack demonstration wh ere you bring those key pieces together and do a demonstration. We believe we can get to that prototype state in about 2.5 years if a decision is made to go full out, and get a prototype engine as soon as possible." 
 
Check 6  Aviation Week editors discuss the prototype that could replace the RD-180 engine in the latest Check 6. AviationWeek.com/podcast (http://www.aviationweek.com/podcast)

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Вижу один в который подаётся и ЖК и керосин. А где второй?

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:

 http://www.rocket.com/ar1-booster-engine

- но как бы из одногоршковой видно что скорей всего и там один.
А гулял вариант картинки с двумя.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne has been pushing a kerosene-fueled, 500,000-pound-thrust concept dubbed AR-1, which the company says could be fully developed in four years for less than $1 billion.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет "А где второй?"

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne says AR1 engine is best fit for Atlas 5
[SIZE=-2]BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" (http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/home/spacenews/spacenews1.html) & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: October 1, 2014[/SIZE]
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/92725.gif)


Aerojet Rocketdyne is pressing ahead with development of a powerful new rocket engine that company officials believe will be an attractive alternative to the Russian-built RD-180 engine that now powers the first stage of United Launch Alliance's workhorse Atlas 5 booster.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154389.jpg)
[SIZE=-2]Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine, a proposed replacement for the Russian-built RD-180 engine. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne[/SIZE]
 
Despite a flawless launch record, the RD-180 has come under fire in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, with critics arguing political uncertainty and increasing discord between the United States and Russia could put downstream launches of high-priority national security payloads at risk.
On Sept. 17, ULA announced that it was partnering with Blue Origin, a company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, to develop an RD-180 replacement known as the BE-4, an engine that will develop 550,000 pounds of thrust burning oxygen with liquified natural gas.
Using two BE-4 engines in the Atlas 5's first stage, the rocket would produce 1.1 million pounds of liftoff thrust compared to 860,000 pounds of sea level thrust generated by the RD-180. Full-scale testing of the new engine is expected in 2016 with initial flight tests in 2019.
ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno said his company studied a variety of engine alternatives, adding "we cast a pretty wide net, we went to everybody in the industry."
"We sel ected Blue for a couple of reasons," he said. "First, they are way ahead. They have this innovative technology. Of course, this is rocketry and I have contingency plans, but this is my partner, and I'm expecting Jeff to succeed."
While Bruno did not specify what "contingency plans" ULA had if Blue Origin does not succeed with the BE-4, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced Monday that it had finalized a contract with ULA to complete detailed design studies, develop production targets and cost estimates for three liquid-fueled rocket engines and solid-fuel strap-on boosters intended to power the next generation of ULA's Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets.
Two of those engines already power the Delta 4 and the upper stage of the Atlas 5. The third engine is the AR1, which will generate 500,000 pounds of thrust using oxygen and refined kerosene rocket fuel. Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine reported in June that Aerojet Rocketdyne was targeting the cost of a pair of AR1s at $25 million or less.
Despite ULA's arrangement with Blue Origin, Paul Meyer, Aerojet Rocketdyne senior vice president for advanced programs and business development, told CBS News in a telephone interview Tuesday that "we still view ourselves as the lowest-risk, highest-probability-of-success option."
"We're not giving up the ghost" in the wake of the Blue Origin announcement, he said. "We know what's facing everybody, and that's what we told the Air Force. ... So we're in the game. Competition doesn't scare us."
Unlike the BE-4, which uses different propellants and would require more extensive changes to the Atlas 5 first stage, the AR1 "would require minimal changes to the (rocket), its ground support equipment and launch infrastructure," Aerojet Rocketdyne said in a statement.
"The AR1's flexible, modular design allows the engine to be configured to support multiple launch vehicles, providing a U.S.-designed and manufactured propulsion system for the Atlas 5 that can be easily adapted to power other current and future government and commercial launch vehicles," the company said.
United Launch Alliance is a partnership between Boeing, designer of the Delta family of rockets, and Lockheed Martin, which designed the Atlas. The latest versions of both were developed for the Air Force primarily to launch spy satellites, military communications stations, navigation beacons and other national security payloads.
The Atlas 5 also is used to launch NASA planetary probes and occasional commercial satellites. The rocket has chalked up a flawless flight record -- 49 successful flights in a row -- since its debut in 2002.
But Elon Musk, chairman and chief designer of rival rocket builder SpaceX, has launched an aggressive attack on the Atlas 5 and its dependence on Russian propulsion technology. He also has filed a lawsuit challenging an Air Force block-buy contract with ULA, claiming his company's Falcon 9 rocket was unfairly excluded fr om consideration.
On Wednesday, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced it had submitted a formal response to an Air Force request for information "on options for future booster propulsion and launch systems that could be used as alternatives to foreign-supplied RD-180 engines."
The company said its objective is "to minimize the total lifecycle costs of national security space launches while ensuring a commercially competitive U.S. space launch enterprise that is no longer reliant on foreign suppliers."
"Rapid development and certification of the AR1 will take place at existing manufacturing and test facilities with delivery of a flight-qualified engine planned by 2019," the company said.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Takes Loss on AJ-26 Engine Problems  
By Jeff Foust | Oct. 13, 2014

WASHINGTON — The parent company of Aerojet Rocketdyne announced Oct. 10 that it took a $17.5 million loss in its latest fiscal quarter because of issues with the AJ-26 rocket engine that it provides for Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares launch vehicle.
Rancho Cordova, California-based GenCorp Inc. reported a net loss in the company's fiscal third quarter, which ended Aug. 31, of $9.5 million.
In filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after the markets closed Oct. 10, the company also reported a net loss for the year to date of $61.8 million.
GenCorp singled out the AJ-26 engine, a refurbished version of the Soviet-era NK-33, as a major reason for the loss. The company said it took pre-tax contract loss of $17.5 million on the program in the latest quarter, and $31.4 million loss on the program for the year to date.
In its SEC filing, GenCorp blamed the loss on "the cost to repair or replace engines as necessary in light of the previously reported engine test failures," a likely reference to a May 22 test-stand failure of an AJ-26 engine at the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The company also cited the costs of increased hardware inspections of engines yet to be delivered, repairs to the test stand and costs associated with delayed engine deliveries.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has a contract with Orbital to provide 20 AJ-26 engines, two of which are used in the first stage of the Antares launch vehicle. Aerojet has delivered 10 of those engines, including the two installed on the Antares scheduled to launch Oct. 24 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, on a resupply mission to the international space station.
Neither Aerojet nor Orbital have disclosed details regarding the cause of the May test failure. Speaking at the 65th International Astronautical Congress in Toronto Sept. 30, Frank Culbertson, executive vice president and general manager of Orbital's Advanced Programs Group, said investigators had narrowed down the failure to two potential root causes, but did not discuss them. Both potential causes can be screened for during engine inspections, he said.
Repairs to the Stennis test stand, Culbertson said, have been completed, and engine tests are scheduled to resume in October. "We had to replace a number of components, but everybody worked hard to turn that around so we could get back to testing," Culbertson said.
The future of the AJ-26 is unclear. Orbital is considering several possible replacement alternatives, including solid rocket motors from ATK, for the next block of Antares vehicles. Orbital this year announced that it would acquire ATK's Aerospace group in a deal expected to close before the end of the year.
Culbertson said Orbital would make a decision before it submitted a proposal to NASA for the follow-on to the Commercial Resupply Services contract for delivering cargo to the international space station. The proposal deadline is Nov. 14.
GenCorp's SEC filing made no mention of two other recent developments affecting the company. On Sept. 17, United Launch Alliance announced a partnership with Blue Origin to develop a new engine to replace the RD-180 used on the Atlas 5 rocket's first stage. Aerojet has been shopping its own RD-180 alternative, dubbed the AR1, which it says could be ready to fly within four years at a cost of less than $1 billion.
On Sept. 29, Aerojet Rocketdyne said it signed a contract with ULA for studies of several engines, including the AR1 Both announcements took place after the company's fiscal third quarter ended Aug. 31.
Despite the loss the company reported for the third quarter, GenCorp stock was up nearly 3 percent on the New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading Oct. 13.

ЦитироватьNews Releases
Media Contact: Roz Brown (mailto:media@ball.com) or call 303-939-6146
Ball Aerospace Green Propellant Infusion Mission to Host Three Defense Department Space Experiments
October 15, 2014
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/223646.jpg)
 
Boulder, Colo., Oct. 15, 2014 – The NASA and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM (http://www.ballaerospace.com/page.jsp?page=281)) will fly three Defense Department experimental hosted payloads aboard the when it launches in 2016. GPIM's mission will validate a non-toxic fuel for future satellite missions, which could replace hydrazine and provide additional performance benefits.
The Department of Defense (DOD) Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) sel ected the three payloads to fly on GPIM. The SERB chooses experiments based on a high potential to provide new or enhanced warfighting capabilities for the DOD.
"This cooperative effort is an outstanding example of government organizations working with industry to solve technology challenges," said Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager for Ball's Civil Space and Technologies business unit.
The GPIM recently completed spacecraft is based on the successful STPSat-2 and STPSat-3 satellites built for the U.S. Air Force. Two of the three SERB payloads sel ected to fly aboard GPIM previously flew on STPSat-3, which launched in 2013. This is the third time Ball has integrated SERB payloads to small spacecraft bus platforms. Ball's series of small satellites are designed to host a minimum of four independent payloads.
"The GPIM spacecraft capitalizes on Ball's experience with STPSat-3 to maximize the reuse of engineering and minimize risk in the development timeline," said Oschmann.
 In addition to the primary GPIM payload being developed at Aerojet Rocketdyne, the three DOD payloads sel ected to fly aboard the project include:  
 

[/li]
• Integrated Miniaturized Electrostatic Analyzer Reflight (iMESA-R), a U.S. Air Force Academy mission designed to measure plasma densities and temperatures
• Small Wind and Temperature Spectrometer (SWATS), a Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) mission to provide in-situ, co-located measurements of the atmospheric neutral and ion density, composition, temperature, and winds on a global scale
• Space Object Self-tracker (SOS), a pathfinder experiment built by the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to decrease space collisions
  

The integration contract is valued at $3.4 million and extends the mission duration of GPIM fr om two months to a year.
 
GPIM is a technology demonstration mission managed by the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA. Ball is leading the on-orbit test of a new Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate propellant blend, AF-M315E, developed by U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base. As the prime contractor and principal investigator, Ball collaborates with a team of co-investigators fr om Aerojet Rocketdyne, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Kennedy Space Center and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base, with additional mission support fr om the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Kirtland Air Force Base on the GPIM project.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information, visit //www.ballaerospace.com.
Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, food and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2013 sales of $8.5 billion. For more information, visit //www.ball.com or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Forward-Looking Statements
 This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially fr om those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at //www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product demand fluctuations; availability/cost of raw materials; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve productivity improvements or cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the company as a whole include those listed plus: changes in senior management; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions and divestitures; regulatory action or issues including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget, sequestration and debt lim it; reduced cash flow; ability to achieve cost-out initiatives; interest rates affecting our debt.

ЦитироватьFinal SLS Engines Are Still An Unknown  
Heavy-lift exploration launcher is evolving during development
 Nov 21, 2014  Frank Morring, Jr. | Aviation Week & Space Technology

Work in Progress
 
NASA (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=19991)'s go-as-you-can-pay approach to exploration-system development means the heavy-lift Space Launch System‭ (‬SLS‭) ‬in development to‭ ‬carry Orion beyond low Earth orbit and eventually on to Mars is very much a work in progress‭, ‬starting with the engines‭.‬
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100737.jpg)
The flight SLS core stage is already in assembly using the largest friction-stir-weld tool ever built, which was finished in September. Credit NASA (http://aviationweek.com/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2014/11/Space_SSLIDE_NASA_0.jpg)

The U.S‭. ‬space agency hopes new rocket engines built with additive manufacturing and other advanced techniques will help hold down powerplant costs‭. ‬For now‭, ‬however‭, ‬SLS engineers do not have a definite view of just how they will power the big new launcher once the 16‭ ‬surviving RS-25‭ ‬Space Shuttle Main Engines‭ (‬SSME‭) ‬are used and thrown away‭, ‬four at a time‭.‬
"The idea is at some point we will have to start making new engines‭, ‬and while we haven't completely settled on all the aspects of how you do that‭, ‬we do know that if we are going to use something like an RS-25‭ ‬we need to find ways to make it in less expensive ways‭,‬"‭ ‬says Todd May‭, ‬NASA (http://awin.aviationweek.com/OrganizationProfiles.aspx?orgId=19991)'s SLS program manager‭.‬
For now‭, ‬the focus is on the first version of the SLS‮—‬a 70-metric-ton capability that will use four of the surplus SSMEs‭, ‬upgraded with a new controller developed for the J-2X upper-stage engine‭. ‬The J-2X was developed for the terminated Ares I crew launcher and is at least temporarily mothballed because it is not needed yet‭.‬
NASA has two missions planned for the 70-ton SLS‭: ‬Exploration Mission-1‭ (‬EM-1‭) ‬around the Moon with an unmanned Orion crew vehicle‭, ‬and EM-2‭ ‬on the same trajectory with a crew‭. ‬An instrumented Orion test article is set to fly next month on a Delta IV Heavy‭, (http://aviationweek.com/space/orion-flight-test-ready-take-human-spaceflight-beyond-leo) ‬while EM-1‭ ‬has slipped fr om late 2017‭ ‬into 2018‭ ‬because of issues building the test crew vehicle for the upcoming flight test‭ ‬and bringing the European Space Agency in as a supplier of major elements in the Orion Service Module‭, ‬according to Mark Geyer‭, ‬NASA's Orion program manager‭.‬
EM-2‭ ‬is targeted for 2021‭, ‬leaving enough SSMEs for two more flights after that‭. ‬By then‭, ‬says May‭, ‬some of the new manufacturing technologies may be far enough along to incorporate in a throwaway RD-25‭, ‬the designation for the reusable SSME‭.‬
One such technology is selective laser melting‭, ‬which uses metallic powder as the feedstock for a computer-guided laser-printing head to craft engine parts‭, ‬including some that cannot be manufactured with traditional machining‭. ‬May says laser melting can‭ ‬use‭ ‬"some of your most exotic metals ever‭,‬"‭ ‬such as Inconel 718‭, ‬to make rocket-engine turbines able to withstand high-temperature environments while rotating at 35,000‭ ‬rpm‭. ‬The agency is making designs available to vendors in an effort to foster industrial best practices that can be applied to a disposable version of the RS-25‭.‬
"Selective laser melting is one of those‭ [‬technologies that‭] ‬we intend to apply on the RS-25‭,‬"‭ ‬he says‭. ‬"We have a number of changes that have been waiting in the wings for years to reduce the price of that if we ever wanted to go to‭ ‬a throwaway version of the RS-25‭.‬"
Ultimately‭, ‬the 294,000-lb‭.-‬thrust J-2X engine may be too powerful for the SLS upper stage‭, ‬at least in the 105,000-ton Block IB‭ ‬intermediate variant en route to the 130-ton version needed for Mars missions‭. ‬"Essentially‭, ‬that stage wants to be about‭ [‬120,000‭ ‬lb‭. ‬thrust‭] ‬total‭,‬"‭ ‬May says‭, ‬and the agency is considering four RL-10s or two‭ ‬"60k-class"‭ ‬engines instead‭. ‬"That trade is still open‭,‬"‭ ‬May says‭. ‬"We recently put a‭ [‬request for information‭] ‬out to industry and we've gotten some data back‭. ‬We won't say yet quite what all we see‭, ‬but we're digesting that data now‭."‬
The agency is also planning a competition for the twin strap-on boosters that will lift the heaviest version of the SLS‭, ‬pitting‭ ‬the solid-fuel versions to be used in the early flights against a liquid-fueled engine that may have other applications as the‭ ‬U.S‭. ‬ponders a way to end its reliance on the Russian-built RD-180‭ ‬engine that powers the Atlas V‭.‬
"If it's liquids‭, ‬a large RP‭ [‬refined petroleum‭] ‬engine of some type looks like it would be the best solution for that‭,‬"‭ ‬May says‭. ‬"Then there are other people out there that want large RP or hydrocarbon boost engines for other purposes‭, ‬so that's one area wh ere we could see another engine coming on‭.‬"
A version of this article appears in the November 24 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Replaces President
by Jeff Foust (http://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — February 13, 2015
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155401.jpg)
Scott Seymour (center), chief executive of parent company GenCorp, announced he was taking over as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne from Warren M. Boley, Jr., effective immediately. Credit: Nasdaq photo  
 
WASHINGTON — The chief executive of the parent company of Aerojet Rocketdyne announced Feb. 13 that he is taking over as president of the space propulsion company as the firm faces financial challenges.
In a Feb. 13 internal memo to employees obtained by SpaceNews, Scott Seymour, chief executive of parent company GenCorp, announced he was taking over as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne from Warren M. Boley, Jr., effective immediately. The memo gave no reason for Boley's departure.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155402.jpg) (http://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aerojet_Warren_boley.jpg)
Warren Boley, who took over as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne in 2012, stepped down Feb. 13. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesman Glenn Mahone confirmed the contents of the memo late Feb. 13, but said no formal announcement of the leadership change was planned before the end of the day.
In the memo, Seymour said he was retaining his position as chief executive of GenCorp as he takes over as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne, but offered few details about the transition. "On behalf of the leadership team, I sincerely thank Warren for his many contributions during his time with the company," he said in the memo. "We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
Boley, who joined Aerojet as its president in July 2012, became president of Aerojet Rocketdyne in June 2013 when Aerojet completed its acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Boley had worked for 27 years at Pratt & Whitney prior to joining Aerojet, including serving as president of its military engines division.
The leadership change comes after the company reported a loss in its latest fiscal year. In financial results reported Jan. 30, GenCorp reported a net loss of $53 million in fiscal year 2014, which ended Nov. 30, compared to net income of $167.9 million in fiscal year 2013. Nearly all of GenCorp's revenue comes from operations of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
GenCorp said part of that loss came from pre-tax cost growth of $23.6 million on the AJ-26 rocket engine, which Aerojet Rocketdyne had been providing to Orbital Sciences Corp. (now Orbital ATK) for its Antares rocket. That engine has been identified as the likely cause of an Oct. 28 Antares launch failure, and Orbital announced in December it was replacing the AJ-26 with the RD-181 engine built by Russia's NPO Energomash.
In filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Jan. 30, GenCorp warned that if the AJ-26 engine is found at fault in the Antares launch failure, "we may face significant claims for damages from Orbital which, if determined adversely to us, could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition, and/or cash flows."

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Plans Consolidation, Job Cuts To Reduce Costs
by Jeff Foust (http://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — March 10, 2015
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155421.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to reduce the size of its headquarters in Sacramento, California, from 230,000 square meters to about 140,000 square meters. Credit: Google Maps  
 
WASHINGTON — Less than a month after changing its leadership, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced March 9 a four-year plan designed to reduce the company's costs by shrinking both its facilities and its workforce.
Under what the company calls its Competitive Improvement Program, the company plans by 2019 to reduce the footprint of its largest facility by 40 percent and reduce its workforce by 10 percent.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne has made a commitment to our customers and to the government to improve the affordability of our products," said Scott Seymour, president and chief executive of both Aerojet Rocketdyne and its parent company, GenCorp, in a statement announcing the plan.
"We believe that these actions are essential to improving both the near and long-term health and performance of our business, in the context of a highly competitive and resource-constrained market environment," he said.
The biggest effects of the plan will be on the company's headquarters near Sacramento, California. Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to reduce the size of its facilities there, which currently encompass more than 230,000 square meters, to about 140,000 square meters.
Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesman Glenn Mahone said March 10 that the company plans to move solid-rocket motor manufacturing work for three missile programs currently done at the Sacramento facility to company sites in Arkansas and Virginia. Other potential consolidations are under study across all the company's facilities, he said.
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155450.jpg) (http://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Scott_Seymour-Aerojet_Rocketdyne.jpg)
"This is a very difficult decision and I recognize the impact on our dedicated colleagues that will be affected," Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Scott Semour said in reference to planned job cuts, which will reduce the company's workforce by 10 percent. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne also plans to reduce its current workforce of more than 5,000 employees by 10 percent. Mahone said about 250 of the affected positions are in Sacramento. The company expects at least some of the job reductions to come through attrition, but he said that it was too soon to know how many employees, if any, would be laid off.
"This is a very difficult decision and I recognize the impact on our dedicated colleagues that will be affected," Seymour said in the statement, in reference to the planned job cuts.
In a March 10 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, GenCorp said it expects the consolidation plan to cost the company $110 million over the next four years. However, the company expects the plan to result in annual savings of $145 million starting in 2019.
The announcement comes less than a month after Seymour replaced Warren Boley as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne (http://spacenews.com/gencorp-ceo-replaces-boley-as-aerojet-rocketdyne-president-2/). The company offered no official explanation for the Feb. 13 leadership change, but it came two weeks after GenCorp reported a net loss of $53 million in fiscal year 2014. Nearly all of GenCorp's revenue comes from Aerojet Rocketdyne.
In a separate announcement March 9, GenCorp announced it will change its name to Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. The company's ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange will change from GY to AJRD in late April.

Цитировать3D printed components for AR1 rocket engine undergo hot-fire testing         
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234607.jpg)
Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne         
             
Jason Rhian
March 20th, 2015          
                                 
As Launch Service Providers and other aerospace firms develop new technology or utilize existing systems to increase their capabilities, decrease their production rates, and lower the cost of delivering payloads to orbit, there is one technology in particular that has surged to the forefront of producing hardware for use in spaceflight operations: additive manufacturing, more commonly known as "3D printing". Recent hot-fire tests conducted by Aerojet Rocktdyne (http://www.rocket.com) on elements of the company's AR1 booster engine help to demonstrate just how far the technology has progressed.(data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
The tests, carried out at Aerojet Rocketdyne's Sacremento test site, were conducted on the AR1′s main injector elements. A series of hot fires were carried out in the hopes that the AR1 booster engine can go into production sometime in 2019.
According to Aerojet Rocketdyne, the AR1 is a 500,000 lbf (2.2 MN) thrust-class liquid oxygen/kerosene booster engine, one being developed to provide the US market with an additional rocket engine. With the political issues that surround the Russian-made RD-180, having domestically-produced engines is considered a requirement.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234623.png)
Aerojet Rocketdyne 3D printed injector undergoes hot-fire testing. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
"We believe the AR1 is the best, most affordable option to eliminate U.S. dependence on foreign sources of propulsion while maintaining assured access to space for our nation's critical national security and civil space assets," said Linda Cova, executive director of Hydrocarbon Engine Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. The AR1 is designed to integrate with the Atlas V launch vehicle, as well as provide a versatile propulsion solution for multiple current and future launch vehicle applications. "When you consider the minimal changes to the Atlas V launch vehicle, launch pad and related infrastructure that are required with an AR1 solution, this approach is clearly the best path toward finding a replacement for the RD-180 and meeting the launch needs of our nation," said Cova. "We look forward to working with the U.S. government in a competitive procurement environment to bring this engine to market."
"Aerojet Rocketdyne is committed to delivering an RD-180 replacement by 2019, which is why the company is investing in the engine and inviting the Air Force, ULA, and other key stakeholders to all major reviews so that engine certification can occur in parallel," added Cova. The company has made progress toward utilizing this technology to "print" rocket engines. Some milestones the company has met include the following:
Completion of System Requirements Review;
Full-scale single-element main injector hot-fire testing;
Subscale preburner testing;
Turbopump inducer testing.
Last year, after the turmoil caused by Russia's military actions in the Ukraine, the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act was initiated. The act specifically calls for the RD-180 to be phased out in preference to a US-produced rocket engine for use on missions relating to national defense. The AR1 matches the Act's requirements in that this new engine is supposed to be on the assembly line by the document's timeline of 2019.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234605.jpg)
The AR1. Image Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
It is hoped that a vehicle-level concept review as well as a Preliminary Design Review of the main propulsion system will be completed by the end of this year. Considering that the effort to develop this engine began last year, the engine's development appears to be taking place at an increased pace.
The AR1 will serve as a backup for Blue Origin's BE-4 rocket engine, which is planned for use on United Launch Alliance's Next Generation Launch Vehicle or "NGLS".
The main injector hot fire test was carried out in order to validate different design features of the component. The performance of the injector is not the only aspect of the test that was scrutinized. The overall design of the injector as well as the methods of fabrication were reviewed.
Aerojet Rocketdyne stated in a release that it had produced several injectors via what the company calls Selective Laser Melting (SLM). SLM is another form of 3D printing.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is one of many aerospace firms that is adding 3D printing methods to their tool kits. The process of additive manufacturing has shown promise in rapidly producing parts at about 70 percent less than traditional methods.
The injector was hot fire tested at pressures in excess of 2,000 psi (13.8 MPa), the company has stated that this represents the highest pressure hot-fire test conducted to date, especially one that was conducted during an exercise that the engine would encounter during an actual mission.

ЦитироватьDelta 4 rocket evolving to upgraded main engine       
Posted on March 27, 2015 by Justin Ray (http://spaceflightnow.com/author/justin-sfn-ray/)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154597.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154597.jpg)
Credit: Carleton Bailie/Boeing
 
CAPE CANAVERAL — When the next Delta 4 rocket flies in July, as well as all future ones to come, the enhanced RS-68A main engine will power the boosters off the launch pad.
This week's successful Delta 4 launch that put a new GPS satellite into orbit marked the final launch of the original RS-68 model engine.
The Aerojet Rocketdyne-built powerplants have flown 42 times in the RS-68 configuration, all successfully, and three times in the RS-68A version aboard one triple-body Delta 4-Heavy launch in June 2012.
That flight three years ago lofted a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload in the debut launch of the upgraded engine on each of its three booster cores.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154653.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154653.jpg)
Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
The RS-68A, fed with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, delivers 702,000 pounds of liftoff thrust, an increase of 39,000 pounds over the RS-68 engine. It is considered the world's most-powerful cryogenic engine.
The A-model is seen as an evolution not a revolution from the basic RS-68 engine that has propelled Delta 4 rockets since 2002.
"There are no radical visual differences in either the look of the engine or the manner in which the rocket will fly," an official said in 2012.
The internal turbomachinery has been modified to enable the engine to operate at a higher thrust level — 108.5 instead of 102 percent — to provide extra performance, and improved combustion efficiency to achieve better miles-per-gallon fuel consumption.
The RS-68A satisfied the Heavy Upgrade program to give additional lift capacity for the National Reconnaissance and its NROL-15 mission in 2012.
Now, the engine is being phased into the rest of the Delta 4 fleet starting with the next flight. The extra power enables all various Medium configurations to evolve into a standardize structure instead of being tailor-built for a given launch, substantially streamlining factory operations.
The next flight, targeted for July 21 from Cape Canaveral, will launch the seventh Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft for the U.S. Air Force.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Receives Contract to Continue Development of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Gridded Ion Thruster System   

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 6, 2015 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, has been awarded a contract worth approximately $18 million from NASA Glenn Research Center to complete the development of NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-Commercial (NEXT-C) Gridded Ion Thruster System. The NEXT-C Gridded Ion Thruster System is designed to power government and commercial spacecraft to deep-space destinations faster, farther and more fuel efficiently than any other propulsion technology currently available.
"The high performance of the NEXT-C Gridded Ion Thruster System will enable dramatically expanded planetary science and commercial missions as never seen before," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space and Launch Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "It is truly the next step in the world's robotic exploration of the solar system, and we are honored to provide the advanced propulsion system to make it happen."
"The NEXT-C program builds on our extensive development experience with arcjet, Hall and ion thruster systems, and will enable new space transportation systems and architectures," said Roger Myers, executive director for Advanced In-Space Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "The Aerojet Rocketdyne team is very excited about the opportunities that the NEXT-C program creates."
Under the contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will complete the development of both the NEXT-C Gridded Ion Thruster System and power processing units (PPUs), and deliver two complete flight systems to NASA. The PPUs convert the electrical power generated by the solar arrays into the power needed for each component of the thruster.
According to NASA, the NEXT System is capable of performing a variety of missions to deep-space destinations such as Mars and the outer planets while reducing cost and trip time. In 2013, NASA completed a record-setting 50,000-hour lifetest of the NEXT-C Gridded Ion Thruster System, establishing the performance and lifetime capabilities required for a wide range of demanding missions. Operating at three times the power level of the current low-power NASA systems, the NEXT-C Gridded Ion Thruster System produces three times the thrust level. This higher-power operating capability enables commercial applications in addition to science missions.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company that provides innovative solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense, and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.GenCorp.com (http://www.gencorp.com).

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Faces June Deadline for Taking RD Amross Stake 
by Peter B. de Selding (http://spacenews.com/author/peter-b-de-selding/) — April 10, 2015
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155330.jpg)
RD-180. Credit: NASA
 
PARIS — Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is suffering from two separate headaches caused by Russian rocket engines, on April 9 said it is likely to decide by June 12 whether to exercise its option to buy a 50 percent stake in the company that sells Russian RD-180 rocket engines for use in U.S. Atlas 5 rockets.
Aerojet Rocketdyne's parent company, GenCorp Inc. of Rancho Cordova, California — which as of April 27 is changing its name to Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings — has been postponing a decision on the RD-180 since it bought the rest of Rocketdyne's assets from United Technologies Corp. (UTC) in June 2013.
UTC owns 50 percent of RD Amross, a joint venture with RD-180 manufacturer Energomash of Russia. The RD-180 powers the first stage of the Atlas 5 rocket, which is used mainly for U.S. government launches.
The U.S. Congress, upset with Russia's incursion into Ukraine and frustrated with U.S. dependence on Russian hardware to launch national security missions, has told launch service provider United Launch Alliance of Denver to find a U.S. alternative before the end of the decade.
The U.S. Air Force would like that deadline extended to account for new-engine development cycles, but otherwise agrees that the RD-180 engine must be phased out over time.
GenCorp and UTC agreed that GenCorp would withhold from the Rocketdyne purchase price $55 million that would have paid for UTC's 50 percent stake in RD Amross. The Russian government, for reasons that have not been explained, has yet to give formal approval to the change in stakeholder, and this has been cited as a principal reason for the delay.
UTC and GenCorp agreed that the deadline for terminating the transaction — June 2014, a year after the Rocketdyne purchase — could be extended by up to four three-month increments. In an April 9 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the company said it exercised the fourth of these in March. The deadline is now June 12.
GenCorp did not say whether it is negotiating a new RD Amross purchase price with UTC to account for the RD-180's uncertain future on the Atlas rocket.
Years before the Rocketdyne purchase, the Aerojet portion of GenCorp had negotiated an agreement with Russian manufacturers to refurbish an old Russian engine and sell it to Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia, as the AJ-26.
A pair of AJ-26 engines powered Orbital ATK's Antares rocket, used to deliver supplies to the international space station under contract to NASA.
Aerojet Rocketdyne had already been spending money to investigate an AJ-26 test-stand failure, and for the three months ending Feb. 28 it reported that this investigation had cost it another $1.9 million.
In October, Orbital's Antares rocket failed seconds after liftoff, a failure that Orbital has said appears likely to have been caused by the AJ-26. Orbital has since stopped use of the AJ-26, booked a single launch aboard an Atlas 5 to meet its space station resupply contract commitment and signed with another Russian engine maker for a new engine to power the Antares vehicle starting in 2016.
Orbital has said in recent weeks that the Antares failure investigation is nearing completion, but company officials have indicated they are likely through with the AJ-26 no matter what the results.
GenCorp's SEC filing said the AJ-26 contract was still active but that the October failure "may result in the termination of the AJ-26 contract and the company may face significant damage claims."

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
The injector was hot fire tested at pressures in excess of 2,000 psi (13.8 MPa), the company has stated that this represents the highest pressure hot-fire test conducted to date, especially one that was conducted during an exercise that the engine would encounter during an actual mission.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
PARIS — Aerojet Rocketdyne, which is suffering from two separate headaches caused by Russian rocket engines, on April 9 said it is likely to decide by June 12 whether to exercise its option to buy a 50 percent stake in the company that sells Russian RD-180 rocket engines for use in U.S. Atlas 5 rockets.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Aerojet Rocketdyne had already been spending money to investigate an AJ-26 test-stand failure, and for the three months ending Feb. 28 it reported that this investigation had cost it another $1.9 million.
In October, Orbital's Antares rocket failed seconds after liftoff, a failure that Orbital has said appears likely to have been caused by the AJ-26. Orbital has since stopped use of the AJ-26, booked a single launch aboard an Atlas 5 to meet its space station resupply contract commitment and signed with another Russian engine maker for a new engine to power the Antares vehicle starting in 2016.
Orbital has said in recent weeks that the Antares failure investigation is nearing completion, but company officials have indicated they are likely through with the AJ-26 no matter what the results.
GenCorp's SEC filing said the AJ-26 contract was still active but that the October failure "may result in the termination of the AJ-26 contract and the company may face significant damage claims."

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
-AJ-26 не имел отношения к аварии но решение с "Энергомашем" было уже заключено?

ЦитироватьBell пишет:
Подозреваю, что переход на 181 это своего рода ребрендинг, необходимый для восстановления имиджа после аварии.

ЦитироватьBell пишет:
У 180-то репутация незапятнанная (кхм, пока).

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Sel ected to Start Negotiations for Contract to Design and Develop Advanced Propulsion System for Human Spaceflight to Mars and Cislunar Space

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 23, 2015 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, has been selected by the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems Division to start negotiations for a contract to design and demonstrate an advanced propulsion system that would enable human spaceflight to cislunar space and beyond to Mars.
Under the first phase of the contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne would complete the development of a 100‑kilowatt Hall Thruster System, including its patented 250kW multi-channel Nested Hall Thruster (NHT), a 100‑kilowatt modular Power Processing Unit (PPU), and critical elements of the modular feed system. PPUs convert the electrical power generated by a spacecraft's solar arrays into the power needed for the Hall Thruster. The contract includes options for system integration testing, and culminates with a 100-hour test of the 100‑kilowatt system.
"Our high-power Nested Hall Thruster system will provide the best path in the development of faster transportation to the moon, Mars and beyond," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space and Launch Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "When it comes to cargo and crew transportation, our advanced propulsion system will dramatically decrease the trip times and cost of human exploration."
Roger Myers, executive director for Advanced In-Space Programs, said, "Our unique flight experience with 5‑kilowatt Hall Thruster systems enables us to efficiently develop these very high-power, scalable solar electric propulsion systems. There are many applications for these systems, including new government and commercial missions that will benefit fr om high power, fast trip times."
As part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP), NASA recently announced Aerojet Rocketdyne as one of 12 new industry partnerships to help build space and human exploration capabilities for cislunar space and Mars missions, and for work at the International Space Station. The commercial partners were selected for their technical ability to mature key technologies and their commitment to the potential applications, both for government and private sector uses, according to NASA.
Current electric propulsion systems operate at 5 kilowatts or below, and there are plans for near-term spacecraft using between 20 to 40 kilowatts, such as NASA's Asteroid Re-direct Mission (ARM). Much higher powers, such as the scalable 100-kilowatt systems being developed on this program, are required for transportation of the large payloads envisioned for human exploration missions.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company that provides innovative solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense, and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.GenCorp.com (http://www.gencorp.com).

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Begins Hot-Fire Tests In Support of US Air Force Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator Program

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 26, 2015 – Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD) has completed the first in a series of hot-fire tests on the sub-scale oxygen rich pre-burner in support of the U.S. Air Force Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator (HBTD) program.
In coming months, multiple injector configurations will be tested to evaluate the performance and stability parameters that are critical for a high-performance, high-reliability liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engine. The sub-scale test series will be used to aid the design and development of the full-scale pre-burner and engine development. An oxygen-rich pre-burner is one of the enabling technologies of the Oxygen-Rich Staged Combustion (ORSC) cycle needed to provide high thrust-to-weight and performance regardless of hydrocarbon fuel type.
"Throughout the sub-scale fabrication and facility checkouts, we've documented a number of lessons learned that have directly influenced the full-scale pre-burner design. We are looking forward to what more we will learn during the hot-fire test series," said Joe Burnett, program manager of the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator program at Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Under program direction of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Aerojet Rocketdyne is designing, developing and testing the HBTD engine. Its technologies are directed at achieving the goals of the Rocket Propulsion for the 21st Century (RP21) program, formally known as Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology, or IHPRPT.
Designed to generate 250,000 pounds of thrust, the engine technology uses liquid oxygen and liquid kerosene (RP-2) in the first U.S.-developed demonstration of the ORSC cycle. It has been designed as a re-usable engine system, capable of powering up to 100 flights, and features high-performance long-life technologies and modern materials.
Burn-resistant, high-strength alloys manufactured using novel technologies will be used throughout the engine. Manufacturing parameters of some of the alloys have been developed under a joint effort with the Air Force, known as the Metals Affordability Initiative or MAI. These advanced technologies will be matured sufficiently throughout the program to support the next generation of expendable launch system development efforts. It also will help in the rapid turn-around usability for future re-usable launch systems. The data from this test effort will be used by other Air Force development programs such as the Advanced Liquid Rocket Engine Stability Tools program (ALREST) to further advance the state-of-the-art capabilities in combustion stability modeling.
Previously, Aerojet Rocketdyne designed and supplied the oxygen-rich and fuel-rich pre-burners for the Air Force's Integrated Powerhead Device (IPD) demonstration engine, the world's first full-flow staged combustion rocket engine. The design lessons learned and test approach from the IPD pre-burners have been leveraged for the HBTD pre-burner architecture.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a diversified company delivering innovative solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense, and real estate markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com).

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
In coming months, multiple injector configurations will be tested to evaluate the performance and stability parameters that are critical for a high-performance, high-reliability liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket engine. The sub-scale test series will be used to aid the design and development of the full-scale pre-burner and engine development. An oxygen-rich pre-burner is one of the enabling technologies of the Oxygen-Rich Staged Combustion (ORSC) cycle needed to provide high thrust-to-weight and performance regardless of hydrocarbon fuel type.
"Throughout the sub-scale fabrication and facility checkouts, we've documented a number of lessons learned that have directly influenced the full-scale pre-burner design. We are looking forward to what more we will learn during the hot-fire test series," said Joe Burnett, program manager of the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator program at Aerojet Rocketdyne.
Under program direction of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Aerojet Rocketdyne is designing, developing and testing the HBTD engine. Its technologies are directed at achieving the goals of the Rocket Propulsion for the 21st Century (RP21) program, formally known as Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology, or IHPRPT.
Designed to generate 250,000 pounds of thrust, the engine technology uses liquid oxygen and liquid kerosene (RP-2) in the first U.S.-developed demonstration of the ORSC cycle. It has been designed as a re-usable engine system, capable of powering up to 100 flights, and features high-performance long-life technologies and modern materials.

ЦитироватьMay 28, 2015
Some Assembly Required: The Newest RS-25 Joins the Space Launch System Family  
 
NASA's Space Launch System, America's new deep space exploration rocket, has a new addition to the family with the completed assembly of RS-25 Engine 2063. The RS-25 engine will power the core stage of the SLS, the launch vehicle that will take humans and cargo on deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars.
https://youtu.be/HtE_61ZR67Y (https://youtu.be/HtE_61ZR67Y)
In this two-minute time-lapse video, see how a powerhouse of a rocket engine, the RS-25, is assembled at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Four RS-25 engines will power NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System, on missions to deep space, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars.
Credits: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
Engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne completed assembly of RS-25 Engine 2063 at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, after approximately three months of work. The new engine becomes the 16th assembled RS-25 flight engine in inventory for SLS flights. It will be one of four RS-25s used to power Exploration Mission 2, the second SLS launch targeted for the 2021 time frame. Testing of these four engines will begin later this year as work accelerates on NASA's newest launch vehicle.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/231520.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/15ar-00042-040d.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne technicians put the final touches on the 16th engine for the RS-25 program. This engine will join three others to help propel the nation's most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System, which is currently in-development by NASA.
Credits: Aerojet Rocketdyne
View larger image (http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/16th-engine-for-the-rs-25-program.html)
 
While SLS is designed for deep space exploration far beyond Earth. It's also designed to take advantage of the investments the nation has already made in space exploration, including the RS-25.
Fourteen of the 16 RS-25 engines in the SLS inventory are veterans of numerous space shuttle missions, where they were commonly referred to as Space Shuttle Main Engines, or SSME.  Engine 2063 is one of two additional "rookie" engines without previous shuttle flight experience. Engine 2063 will undergo acceptance testing to verify it is acceptable for flight, checking out the completed system. It does include some previously flown hardware, including the four turbopumps which have flown on several shuttle missions.
"Assembly of this new engine is part of a very busy year for the RS-25 team," said Steve Wofford, manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, where the SLS Program is managed for the agency. "We're testing one engine, developing a new controller and planning to manufacture new engines in the future."
Engine 2063 joins a famous family with a proud tradition. The RS-25 is one of the most tested large rocket engine in history, with more than 3,000 starts and over a million seconds of total ground test and flight firing time over 135 missions.
Four RS-25 liquid propellant engines will power the SLS for the eight-minute climb to orbit with the help of two solid propellant boosters – both flight qualified components of the Space Shuttle Program and now essential to SLS's unmatched payload capability.
"Completion of this engine is a significant accomplishment, considering it's been nearly five years since the last RS-25 was assembled," said Jim Paulsen, vice president of Program Execution Advanced Space & Launch Programs Aerojet Rocketdyne. "It's been a great opportunity for the team's SSME veterans to get reacquainted with this engine. For new members of the team, it's been an invaluable introduction to this dependable engine."
Four previously-flown RS-25s will be attached to the first SLS core stage and test fired together as a stage before being approved for the first SLS launch planned for 2018.
The SLS team began test firing one of the development engines with a new controller earlier this year to make sure it can meet the different performance and environmental conditions required by the SLS. The entire flight engine inventory will be upgraded with new state-of-the-art engine controllers, insulation and other details.
"There is nothing in the world that compares to this engine," added Paulsen. "It is great that we are able to adapt this advanced engine for what will be the world's most powerful rocket to usher in a new space age."
After the first four flights, NASA will start using brand new RS-25 engines. These "next generation" engines will be more affordable by utilizing components made with the latest 21st century electronics, cost saving manufacturing techniques and more cost effective materials.
"The RS-25 is still one of the most advanced engines in the world," said Philip Benefield, himself an SSME veteran now part of the team adapting the RS-25 to SLS. "It's an interesting challenge to put together a new SLS engine team of shuttle veterans and new engineers, much like the RS-25 incorporates veteran shuttle engine hardware and new hardware to meet new requirements."
For one of those new engineers, working on the RS-25 is the high point of a life-long interest in space exploration.
"Ever since I was in the third grade when I fell in love with the space program, I have always had the desire to work on a project that would take people further into space than ever before," said Esteban Barajas, a mechanical design engineer at Aerojet Rocketdyne.
"Now, being able to bring the space shuttle main engines roaring back to life with the many talented engineers who originally designed and built them is an incredible opportunity. As a young engineer, the experience has truly been invaluable."
For more information about SLS, visit:
 

www.nasa.gov/sls (http://www.nasa.gov/sls)

Kim Henry
 Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
 256-544-0034
kimberly.m.henry@nasa.gov (mailto:kimberly.m.henry@nasa.gov)
 
Last Updated: June 3, 2015
Editor: Lee Mohon

ЦитироватьMay 29, 2015
Steamy Summer Begins for SLS with RS-25 Test

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/231498.jpg) (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/ssc-2015-00520.jpg)
 A billowing plume of steam signals a successful 450-second test of the RS-25 rocket engine May 28 at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The hotfire test was conducted on the historic A-1 Test Stand where Apollo Program rocket stages and Space Shuttle Program main engines also were tested. RS-25 engines tested on the stand will power the core stage of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which is being developed to carry humans deeper into space than ever before. The heavy-lift SLS will be more powerful than any current rocket and will be the centerpiece of the nation's next era of space exploration, carrying humans to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. Four RS-25 engines will power the SLS vehicle at launch, firing simultaneously to generate more than 1.6 million pounds of thrust. Designed and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, RS-25 engines are modified Space Shuttle Main Engines, which powered 135 successful low-Earth orbit missions. One of the objectives being evaluated in this test is the new engine controller, or "brain." The RS-25 is unique among many engines in that it automatically runs through its cycles and programs. The controller monitors the engine conditions and communicates the performance needs. The performance specifications, such as what percentage of thrust is needed and when, are programmed into the controller before the engines are fired. For example, if the engine is required to cycle up to 90 percent thrust, the controller monitors the fuel mixture ratio and regulates the thrust accordingly. It is essential that the controller communicates clearly with the engine; the SLS will be bigger than previous rockets and fly unprecedented missions, and its engines will have to perform in new ways.  Tests at Stennis will ensure the new controller and engine are in sync and can deliver the required performance to meet the SLS requirements. NASA engineers conducted an initial RS-25 engine test on the A-1 stand Jan. 9. Testing then was put on hold for scheduled work on the Stennis facility high-pressure industrial water system that provides the tens of thousands of gallons of water needed to cool the stand during an engine test. RS-25 testing now is set to continue through the summer.
 
Last Updated: June 3, 2015
Editor: LaToya Dean

ЦитироватьНАСА показало испытания ракетного двигателя для полетов на Марс
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222000.jpg)
ЖРД RS-25D на складском хранении. Источник: images.spaceref.com
 
8 мая 2015 года НАСА провело испытания жидкостного ракетного двигателя RS-25 — ранее он применялся в твердотопливных ускорителей «шаттлов», а сейчас готовится для сверхтяжелой ракеты-носителя Space Launch System (SLS). Видео стендовых испытаний представлено (http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/steamy-summer-begins-for-sls-with-rs-25-test) на сайте НАСА.
Восьмиминутные огневые испытания прошли на стенде A-1 Космического центра имени Джона Стенниса — там, где обкатывались ступени ракет программы «Аполлон» и двигатели «шаттлов». Проверяли прежде всего регулятор работы («мозг») двигателя. RS-25 отличает способность автоматически реализовывать заданную программу действий: технические задания (например, когда нужен какой уровень тяги) загружаются в контроллер еще до запуска двигателя. Летние испытания должны гарантировать, что новый регулятор и двигатель способны действовать синхронно и обеспечивают потребности SLS (их там должно быть четыре).
Тесты начались еще в январе, однако вскоре были приостановлены до ремонта системы подачи воды под высоким давлением. Эта жидкость необходима, чтобы охлаждать стенд во время огневых испытаний.
RS-26 производятся компанией Aerojet Rocketdyne. Основными компонентами топлива двигателя являются жидкие кислород и водород. RS-25 использует схему закрытого цикла с дожиганием топливного генераторного газа. Space Launch System — американская сверхтяжёлая ракета-носитель для пилотируемых экспедиций за пределы околоземной орбиты. На этой ракете США планируют запускать в космос многоразовый космический корабль Orion, с помощью которого в 2020-х годах НАСА собирается отправить своих астронавтов к Марсу.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1L2-CjsIo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1L2-CjsIo)

ЦитироватьNASA Looks to Cut Travel Time to Mars in Half with Superfast Propulsion

03:10 03.06.2015
As NASA begins laying the foundations for a future mission to Mars, the Agency wants to use its partnership with a rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer to cut travel time to the Red Planet in half.

The California-based Aerojet Rocketdyne has teamed up with NASA several times in the past, starting in 1976 when it helped the space agency deliver the Mars Viking landers. Now it seems the company's groundbreaking work on propulsion systems will forward NASA's mission of sending humans to Mars.
During a visit to the company's facilities in Canoga Park, California, NASA administrator Charlie Bolden stressed the need for the latest and most advanced propulsion technologies in getting astronauts to Mars. He also reiterated NASA's hope to slash the future mission's travel time.
"Right now, it's about an eight-month mission," he told reporters at the facility. "We'd like to cut that in half."
Bolden discussed the possibility with Aerojet Rocketdyne President Scott Seymour and Vice President of Advanced Space and Launch Systems Julie Van Kleeck, the three of them focusing primarily on the potential of superfast propulsion technology.
NASA officials have stressed the value of the technology, as it would help limit astronauts' exposure to radiation and reduce the amount of food and water the mission would require.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is working on advanced solar-electric propulsion systems (SEP) that will make transporting cargo to Mars more affordable and efficient.
"We're now trying to get to higher levels," Seymour said, referring to the engines his company is building for NASA's robotic missions. "Fifteen kilowatts would be the next step, and then to cluster them together...then, in the long term, 50 to 100 kilowatts."
"The limiting power of this type of propulsion has been the power to drive it," Bolden added.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne has partnered with different entities around the country in looking [at] how to get more energy density into a solar cell. The more power we can get, the larger we can make the engine and its capability."
The trio also discussed more advanced space propulsion systems, including nuclear rockets, such as the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Performance (NERVA), a system studied by NASA decades ago.
"This country did a lot of work on that back in the 1960s and 1970s, and there is some technology being looked at regarding the fuels aspects of that, to make it lower cost and safer for the future," Van Kleeck noted.
Bolden also took the opportunity to emphasize the need for investing more into these advanced space systems, calling them potential "game changers" for more than just the mission to Mars.
"You've got to be specific," he said. "If I say I want game-changing in-space propulsion, everyone will go back to [the idea of] moving cargo. I want industry to focus on getting people to move really fast. I think we can do far better than we are doing today, but we've got to show our commitment by putting some money into it."

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
http://sputniknews.com/us/20150603/1022876560.html

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Есть и более поздний:  ;)  
 http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Looks_to_Cut_Travel_Time_to_Mars_in_Half_with_Superfast_Propulsion_999.html

Цитироватьhttp://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/05/20/aerojet-rocketdyne-tests-space-plane-propulsion.html
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings (http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/rancho_cordova/aerojet_rocketdyne_holdings_inc/15497) Inc. supported a launch Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that includes a propulsion experiment of the military's X-37B space plane.
....
Much of the military mission is secret, but part of it is a test of Aerojet Rocketdyne's space propulsion technology. Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD) is based in Rancho Cordova and is the region's largest publicly traded company. It designs and builds rocket engines and space motors (http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/print-edition/2015/04/17/gencorp-focus-on-rockets-gets-leaner.html).......

ЦитироватьAn Abrupt Departure for Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO
by Jeff Foust (http://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — June 1, 2015
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155489.jpg)
According to a June 1 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Scott Seymour (center) announced his intent to retire May 29. Credit: NASDAQ  
 
WASHINGTON — Scott Seymour, president and chief executive of Aerojet Rocketdyne, abruptly retired from the company June 1 and has been replaced by an executive who joined the company only three months ago.
Neither the 64-year-old Seymour nor the company offered an explanation for his sudden retirement, announced by the company June 1. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission June 1, Seymour announced his intent to retire May 29. "Seymour's resignation was not the result of any disagreement related to any matter involving the Company's operations, policies or practices," the filing stated.
Warren Lichtenstein, chairman of the company's board of directors, praised Seymour. "Scott was instrumental in our 2013 acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a bold move that merged two industry giants and has been pivotal in securing the future growth of our company in a challenging marketplace," he said in a June 1 statement.
A former Northrop Grumman executive, Seymour joined the company in 2010 as president and chief executive of Aerojet's parent company, then known as GenCorp and recently renamed Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. In February, he replaced Warren M. Boley, Jr. as president of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
In March, he approved a consolidation plan that calls for reducing the company's workforce by 10 percent over the next several years. Those cuts were intended "to improve the affordability of our products," he said in a statement at the time.
Replacing Seymour as president and chief executive is Eileen Drake, who joined the company as its chief operating officer in early March. Drake, a former U.S. Army aviator, previously worked for more than a decade at United Technologies Corp., including serving as president of a Pratt & Whitney AeroPower business unit from 2012 to January 2015.
"Her leadership will be instrumental in positioning our organization for continued growth and increased profitability," Lichtenstein said, adding that Drake and Seymour would "work closely together to ensure a smooth transition."
The change in leadership comes as Aerojet Rocketdyne faces major challenges in its space propulsion business. After the loss of an Antares rocket in October 2014, powered by AJ-26 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne, Orbital ATK announced it was replacing the AJ-26 with RD-181 engines from Russian firm NPO Energomash. The results of separate investigations into the accident by both Aerojet Rocketdyne and Orbital ATK have yet to be released.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is also seeking funding for the AR-1, a large engine intended to replace the RD-180 engine from NPO Energomash currently used on the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. However, ULA's preferred choice for a new engine is the BE-4 from Blue Origin, which ULA plans to use in the first stage of its new Vulcan launch vehicle.

ЦитироватьQ&A with Linda Cova of Aerojet Rocketdyne

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155498.jpg)
Linda Cova believes Aerojet Rocketdyne can develop the AR1 engine before 2020. "This is not a stretch for us at all to be ready in 2019," she said. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne, SpaceNews Lance Marburger
Linda Cova Executive Director of Hydrocarbon Engines, Aerojet Rocketdyne

Propulsion provider Aerojet Rocketdyne finds itself in a delicate position with one of its most important customers, United Launch Alliance, the U.S. government's primary launch services provider.

ULA faces a congressional mandate to discontinue using the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powers its workhorse Atlas 5 rocket, seemingly providing a long-sought opportunity for Aerojet Rocketdyne. But ULA has chosen to work with another company, Blue Origin, to develop an RD-180 replacement dubbed the BE-4.

Aerojet Rocketdyne's proposed RD-180 replacement, the AR1, is still in the running, but only as a backup option — ULA expects to make a final decision next year. The AR1 has another disadvantage in that Blue Origin is funding the BE-4 development effort, whereas Aerojet Rocketdyne requires substantial government money to complete its engine.

Congress provided $220 million this year to start developing a replacement for the liquid-oxygen/kerosene-fueled RD-180, but that is of limited help to Aerojet Rocketdyne absent a customer for the AR1. To that end it has begun exploring alternatives. In May, for example, in partnership with two other companies, Aerojet Rocketdyne asked the Air Force about the possibility of obtaining production rights to the Atlas 5, something ULA says is a nonstarter.

In the meantime, Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to supply the hydrogen-fueled RS-68 main engine for ULA's less-frequently-used Delta 4 rocket, as well as variants of the RL10 upper stage engine for both the Atlas 5 and Delta 4.

Linda Cova's focus is squarely on the liquid-oxygen/kerosene-fueled AR1, which she says could be developed by 2019 — opinions differ on this — and could be integrated relatively easily with the Atlas 5. It is a development challenge she says she has wanted to take on her entire career.

Cova spoke recently with SpaceNews staff writer Mike Gruss.

Where does the development of AR1 stand today?

We're really deep in the design process. We are having a preliminary design review late this year. We had a system requirements review in December. We're also doing some hot-fire testing, some subscale preburner testing.

You're still on track for 2019?

Yes. The track we're on, when the government kicks their money loose, we'll get to 2019 with some margin.

What would you like to see fr om the Air Force?

What we've been advocating is you start the engine development prior to the launch vehicle investments primarily because the engines are the critical path. We see that even with what ULA is doing today. The critical path is usually the engine. We'd like to see that started immediately.

The government has set aside $220 million for engine development this fiscal year, which is now two-thirds over. How soon do you expect the money to be spent?

It could come before the end of the year. We're hopeful it will come out soon and we'll actually be on contract for engine work this year.

Will you work on specific technologies or overall design and integration?

It will be basically the full-scale engine engineering manufacturing and development program going into the development with the focus on production.

What do you need from Congress at this point?

The budget request for 2016 [for an RD-180 replacement] is $84.4 million. It needs to be about $200 million again.

Are you confident Congress will provide that money?

Given the requirement for an engine in 2019 to replace the RD-180, I would think that would happen.

How do you convince Congress this makes sense for taxpayers when Blue Origin says it doesn't need government money to develop the BE-4?

If you look at the dates of being able to fly 180s and when they're going to have a certified launch vehicle and retiring Delta 4 medium, there is a gap. You could create another monopoly with SpaceX being the only one with the capability. That's one more reason for an RD-180 replacement. If the government is serious about replacing the RD-180 they should start an engine development program competition, pick the supplier and move forward.

Several companies are likely to bid for engine development money from the government. To have an engine ready by 2019, when would the government have to pick a provider?

It would have to be within the year, if not sooner than that. They have to get the procurement out and a decision made.

ULA and the Air Force doubt your AR1 development timetable. Why is there so much disagreement over this?

One of the misconceptions is that it takes seven years to develop an engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne has demonstrated on the RS-68 program a 5.5-year development timespan. We started AR1 last year and 2015 to 2019 is not four years, it's five years. It's one of those things — people look at the math and don't do that right. This is not a stretch for us at all to be ready in 2019. We're a little surprised at the amount of questioning on that because we've done it that way before. Now, if you don't have all the facilities in place, if you don't have all the processes in place, if you have to create a factory, it could take seven years. But for us, we're leveraging all of our existing infrastructure that we use with the RS-68 and also use for the RS-25. We're not having to create anything new there. We're literally just developing the engine and going into production in existing facilities.

ULA questions your assertion that the AR1 can be readily integrated with the Atlas 5. What's your response?

There's a lot of discussion that you can't re-engine a launch vehicle. First of all, the Antares vehicle right now is in the midst of being re-engined. It's interesting that people forget that's being done. The Delta 4 went from an RS-68 to an RS-68A, which was a higher-thrust engine. The RL10 has a 50-year heritage of being modified and changed and incorporated into new launch vehicles. It is surprising to me that people don't recognize it has been done a lot of times.

We have been working with ULA to interface directly into the aft end of the Atlas 5 launch vehicle. All of the liquid-oxygen and kerosene ducts interface identically. They identically interface to the attach points at the bottom of the Atlas 5. We actually took our engine model — which is really two engines integrated into what we call a main propulsion system — and it fit exactly. We could see integration of a main propulsion system into an Atlas 5 while we're completing our engine qualification or certification. You could do an initial launch in 2020 or, if we finish prior, in 2019.

When did Aerojet make a conscious decision to pursue the AR1?

We've been working on this a lot of years. There was a NASA procurement wh ere they were looking at an advanced booster and at that time we were developing what we called the American kerosene engine. So it's been morphed some to fit exactly the RD-180 requirements. We've always advocated if you're going to develop a national engine you need to develop an RD-180 class, a liquid-oxygen/kerosene engine, because it has so much application. Part of the reason we did two engines versus one is there are smaller launch applications that could use one engine.

What exactly is the nature of your relationship with ULA on the AR1?

They are investing in AR1 and they're also working with us on what modifications the Atlas 5 would need to incorporate it. When I say it's a plug-and-play, from an interface perspective, that's true. We've also been told the thrust structure or the thrust takeout at the bottom of the Atlas can take up to 1.2 million pounds of thrust but we need to verify that. And avionics, because we're flying two engines versus one, will require some modifications. ULA has recently gone to common avionics, a very modern avionics, so it's not like we're taking something from 30 years ago and needing to update it. That should be relatively straightforward. Clearly all the infrastructure, everything else at the launch sites stays the same. Everything stays the same. We have been given an envelope we have to stay in to avoid any modification requirements.

Is there a path forward for the AR1 without ULA?

If ULA does not choose the AR1, I doubt the government would continue to fund AR1. It makes sense. There's an RD-180 issue. That's what the money is appropriated for solving and resolving. The question is how does the government acquisition deal with that and does a new launch vehicle and a new propellant combination address that or is it an RD-180 replacement? That's the real question.

What would a rejection of the AR1 mean for Aerojet Rocketdyne?

Aerojet Rocketdyne still supplies a lot of propulsion to ULA. We'll still be fabricating RS-68s. We'll still be making AJ-60s. We'll still be making the RL10s. We'll continue to do that. We'll also make the RS-25. AR1 is a significant opportunity. Obviously we believe that given that we're investing in it. We still have a product portfolio beyond AR1.

What is the size of Aerojet's own investment in AR1?

We're investing to get to preliminary design review and I think most people should understand the level of that investment. That includes risk reduction activities and everything else.

And that piggybacks on previous government investment.

Right. We still do have other programs that are working on oxygen-rich staged-combustion. It's not like we don't have any other work going on; we do. We're leveraging all of that.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Moves Forward With AR1 Engine Testing at NASA Stennis Space Center to Keep AR1 Engine on Track for 2019

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 16, 2015 – Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD) and NASA Stennis Space Center signed a Space Act Agreement for test services and test stand support of the AR1 multi-element pre-burner and main injector. Currently in development by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the AR1 engine is a replacement for the Russian-made RD-180 engines that power the Atlas V launch vehicle. This agreement builds on the current assembly and testing of the company's RS-68 and RS-25 engines at NASA Stennis.

"This is another example of Aerojet Rocketdyne's focus to maintain schedule for the United States to be able to have AR1 ready to fly in 2019, to keep our country on track to end dependence on Russian engines," said Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet Rocketdyne vice president of Advanced Space & Launch.

Under the agreement, the company will pay NASA Stennis to modify the E-1 complex, cell 2 test stand over a period of six months. The test stand will be configured to conduct AR1 staged combustion testing.

The AR1 engine uses two combustion devices: a pre-burner and a main injector/combustion chamber. These two devices operate in extreme temperature and pressure environments and are critical to the function of the engine. As part of the development path to full-scale testing, AR recently conducted subscale pre-burner hot-fire testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center using hardware fabricated via additive manufacturing that serves to reduce both cost and schedule for the production engine.

"We are using a stair step approach to eliminate the highest risk items first in our AR1 engine development program to ensure earliest possible delivery," added Van Kleeck. "By incorporating additive manufacturing and other new processes, materials and techniques into our plan, we offer the Nation a timely, cost-efficient path to end reliance on the Russian engines."

The AR1 engine provides 500,000 pounds of thrust and features advanced oxygen-rich staged combustion kerosene technology making it configurable to multiple U.S. launch vehicles.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Under the agreement, the company will pay NASA Stennis to modify the E-1 complex, cell 2 test stand over a period of six months. The test stand will be configured to conduct AR1 staged combustion testing.

ЦитироватьJul 1, 2015
Aerojet Rocketdyne's Modified XR-5 Hall Thruster Demonstrates Successful On-Orbit Operation
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 1, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne's (NYSE:AJRD) improved XR-5 Hall Thruster (designated XR-5A) has successfully completed initial on-orbit validation testing on the unmanned X-37 space plane, which is presently on its fourth mission in space. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Space and Missile Systems Center, and Rapid Capabilities Office collaborated to host the XR-5A Hall Thruster experiment on Orbital Test Vehicle mission 4.

  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/121176.jpg)  (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10140109&l=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globenewswire.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fprs%2F%3Fpkgid%3D34131)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's Upgraded XR-5A Hall Thruster Demonstrates Successful On-Orbit Operation

 A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=34131 (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10140109&l=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globenewswire.com%2Fnewsroom%2Fprs%2F%3Fpkgid%3D34131)
 The XR-5A Hall Thruster is an enhanced version of the Aerojet Rocketdyne XR-5 Hall Thruster. Both thrusters are five kilowatt class Hall Thrusters; however, the XR-5A incorporates modifications that improve performance and operating range. Aerojet Rocketdyne has manufactured and delivered 16 XR-5 Hall Thrusters and flown 12 to date. As with most new product introductions, Aerojet Rocketdyne is introducing a product upgrade to incorporate improvements identified after the initial low-rate production and flight programs.
 Aerojet Rocketdyne has received orders for 64 flight thrusters to date and anticipates a strong future production for both commercial and government markets.
 "The GEO Comsat market has embraced the use of five kilowatt Hall Thrusters, and Aerojet Rocketdyne not only has the only flight-proven five kilowatt Hall Thruster, we now have the only flight-tested, second-generation five kilowatt Hall Thruster," said Eileen Drake, chief executive officer and president at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Satellite customers are very risk adverse, as many GEO Comsats have operational lives exceeding 15 years. So we are very pleased to bring a second generation product to market that provides our customers with that higher level of reliability and confidence."
 The new XR-5A maintains the majority of the design and flight heritage from the original XR-5, with only minimal modifications. The only two changes to the thruster are the outer pole extending around the cathode, and a modification of the cathode position.
 Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10140109&l=7&a=www.Rocket.com&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rocket.com%2F) and  www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10140109&l=7&a=www.AerojetRocketdyne.com&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aerojetrocketdyne.com%2F).
 The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/5-Hill-Hydrocarbon-Engine-Hill-and-Norman-HEOMD-Response-to-NAC-Finding-on-RD-180-replacement-V3_1.pdf

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg) Stephen Clark ‏@StephenClark1  (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1)  13 ч.13 часов назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/631866016776065024)  
 
Aerojet's Julie Van Kleek: Plan to deliver six new RS-25 flight engines to NASA in 2022-2023.
 
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg) Stephen Clark ‏@StephenClark1  (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1)  13 ч.13 часов назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/631865852292259840)  
 
NASA's Steve Wofford: RS-25 engines on SLS will initially fly at 109% rated thrust, future flights after EM-1 could ramp up to 111%.
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/67521.jpg) Stephen Clark ‏@StephenClark1  (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1)  14 ч.14 часов назад (https://twitter.com/StephenClark1/status/631857187665539072)  
 
Todd May: Contract to be signed soon with Aerojet Rocketdyne covers construction of six new RS-25 engines.

ЦитироватьНАСА успешно испытало модернизированный двигатель RS-25 для ракеты SLS
00:40 14.08.2015 (обновлено: 00:46 14.08.2015)2 (http://ria.ru/science/20150814/1182802273.html#comments)78272113
Прошедший тест стал шестым и продолжался около 8,5 минут. США разрабатывает сверхтяжелую ракету-носитель SLS для пилотируемых полетов в далекий космос за пределы Солнечной системы.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/101497.jpg)
© NASA (http://www.nasa.gov)
 
ВАШИНГТОН, 14 авг — РИА Новости. НАСА провело в четверг шестое огневое испытание обновленного жидкостного ракетного двигателя RS-25 (РС-25) для использования на будущей сверхтяжелой американской ракете SLS (Space Launch System, SLS).
Испытание прошло на платформе А-1 в космическом центре Джона Стенниса (штат Миссисипи) и транслировалось на сайте национального управления по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства США (НАСА) (http://www.nasa.gov/).
Нынешний тест стал шестым огневым испытанием обновленного двигателя, который был разработан компанией Rocketdyne (Рокетдайн) и использовался на американских космических челноках "Спейс Шаттл". Для использования его на создаваемой США новой сверхтяжелой ракете двигатель был значительно модернизирован.
Прошедший тест продолжался около 8,5 минут — время, равное продолжительности работы двигателей первой ступени во время реального пуска ракеты. Завершение теста было встречено аплодисментами наблюдавшим за испытанием участниками проекта. "Уже сейчас мы знаем, что испытание прошло успешно", — заявил по окончании теста сотрудник НАСА Стив Уоффорд, по его словам все полученные данные будут изучены и использованы для дальнейшего совершенствования двигателя. "Это великий день для НАСА и великий день для будущего космических полетов", — отметил Уоффорд.
В НАСА предупредили, что анализ данных, полученных в результате испытания, может занять несколько дней.
США разрабатывает сверхтяжелую ракету-носитель SLS для пилотируемых полетов в далекий космос за пределы Солнечной системы. Первый тестовый полет новой ракеты намечен на 2018 год. Первая ступень SLS, которой предстоит вывести в далекий космос пилотируемый корабль Orion, будет оснащена четырьмя двигателями RS-25.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD.N) has submitted a $2 billion offer to buy United Launch Alliance (ULA), a spacecraft launch services provider that is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N), according to sources familiar with the matter.

Aerojet Rocketdyne board member Warren Lichtenstein, the chairman and chief executive of Steel Partners LLC, approached ULA President Tory Bruno and senior Lockheed and Boeing executives about the bid in early August, the sources said.

Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesman Glenn Mahone said the company would not comment on any negotiations that it was involved in with any company. Lockheed declined comment. No immediate comment was available from Boeing.

Спойлер

ULA was created in 2005 after nearly two years of negotiations between the two companies, which overcome opposition from the Federal Trade Commission, arguing the venture would result in significant savings.

The U.S. Air Force, eager to reintroduce competition to the market, has worked hard in recent years to certify a new competitor, Space Exploration Technologies Corp, or SpaceX, to launch certain military and spy satellites.

The Air Force also plans to end certain launch support of about $1 billion a year that it had provided to ULA for years, now that another competitor is available.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, which makes rocket engines, had hoped to adapt its new AR-1 engine for use on ULA's Atlas 5 rocket, replacing the Russian-built RD-180 engine it now uses.

But ULA's current plan is to use a new engine being developed by Blue Origin, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.

One of the sources said the ULA's owners might welcome the unsolicited bid, given increased competition from SpaceX that is likely to cut into ULA's revenues and earnings in coming years.

Lockheed and Boeing, wary of declining revenue prospects, have funded ULA's work on a new rocket only on a quarterly basis, given concerns about ULA's ability to use existing RD-180 engines for military and spy satellite launches.

Congress banned the use of the Russian engines for such launches from 2019 after Russia's invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

[свернуть]

Цитироватьche wi пишет:
Aerojet Rocketdyne предложила 2 млрд. долларов Боингу и Локхид Мартин за компанию ULA

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Всегда размышлял - почему Аэроджет не занимается метаном

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
А при одинаковой массе?

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
А при одинаковой массе?

Так главное ограничение для 1-й ступени как правило размер блоков. Возможности производства, транспортировки. Масса важна для 2-й и выше.

Цитироватьche wi пишет:
Aerojet Rocketdyne предложила 2 млрд. долларов Боингу и Локхид Мартин за компанию ULA

ЦитироватьTory Bruno ‏@torybruno  (https://twitter.com/torybruno) 2 ч2 часа назад (https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/641577364976214016)

.@ErinLowenberg (https://twitter.com/ErinLowenberg) @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) @DanaMattioli (https://twitter.com/DanaMattioli) @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) @WSJ (https://twitter.com/WSJ) Wish I could, but as a matter of policy, we don't comment on this type of story

перевод: Я бы хотел, но как вопрос политики, мы подобные истории не комментируем.

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
A key part of the F-1 engine just completed tests that will provide new data for today's rocket engine designers. http://go.nasa.gov/1KlPB9S (http://t.co/1UBxcJ3gZv)

ЦитироватьThe gas generator to an F-1 engine is test-fired this September at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Although the engine was originally built to power the Saturn V rockets during America's missions to the moon, this test article had new parts created using additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing, to test the viability of the technology for building new engine designs.

ЦитироватьFor example, earlier in September the two companies successfully test fired a gas generator that supplies fuel to the F-1 engine used on NASA's Saturn rockets. The legacy generator took 15 months to build. The 3D manufactured version took 15 days to make, she said.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AJRD.N)) is considering raising its $2 billion offer for United Launch Alliance, a rocket launch venture of Boeing Co (BA.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N)) and Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=LMT.N)), but faces big hurdles after a public rejection of the bid last week, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Aerojet is meeting with outside advisers this week to explore its options, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the discussions. One of the sources said the company could announce its next moves in coming weeks.
The company's spokesman, Glenn Mahone, said the two companies remained in discussions about "a number of business arrangements," but gave no details.
The sources said Aerojet faces an uphill climb given growing tensions between the two companies over the past few years. This week ULA dumped Aerojet as its solid rocket motor supplier and signed a long-term deal with its rival Orbital ATK (OA.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=OA.N)), which is not currently in that business.
Aerojet and ULA have discussed a merger in the past, but were unable to reach agreement, the sources said.
Last summer, Aerojet's board also rejected ULA's request that Aerojet invest $300 million to accelerate work on the AR-1 engine it is developing as an alternative to the Russian RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas V rocket, the sources said.
U.S. lawmakers last year banned use of the Russian engines for U.S. military and spy satellite launches after 2019, to protest Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.
Aerojet's refusal to invest more in the AR-1 engine ultimately drove ULA to opt for the BE-4 engine being developed by privately held Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon.com founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, the sources said.
An Aerojet takeover of ULA would also require Russia to give its regulatory approval and transfer a technology license for use of the RD-180 engines, according to two of the sources.
Russia refused to transfer the license to Aerojet when it bought Rocketdyne from Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp (UTX.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=UTX.N)) unit in 2013, forcing Pratt to retain control of a small company that brokers RD-180 sales, and could be more reluctant to do so now, the sources said.
Analysts say a tie-up between ULA and Aerojet would make sense since both companies's revenues are threatened by a drop in U.S. military satellite launches, and the rise of privately held Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, which builds its own rockets and motors to keep costs down. The Air Force earlier this year certified SpaceX to bid for some military and spy satellite launches and break ULA's nine-year monopoly.
"In the mid-term, the only way you can have a viable company that can compete better on price is to integrate the two businesses, the way SpaceX operates," said Marco Caceres, space analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group.
Boeing last week rejected as unserious Aerojet's initial bid, which came in a two-sentence email from Warren Lichtenstein, who heads Aerojet's board and serves as executive chairman of Steel Partners Holdings (SPLP.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SPLP.N)).
Officials at ULA and Lockheed have declined comment.
Wall Street analysts have questioned how Aerojet could raise the money for the deal, and why the bid lacked the necessary supporting materials. Some also questioned whether ULA was even worth $2 billion given the changing space market.
If Aerojet fails to reach a deal with ULA, industry executives said the company's board could still try to break the company up and sell its parts.
Lichtenstein, the board chairman, engineered a similar break up of AAI that began in 2002 and eventually saw its key drone business sold to Textron Inc (TXT.N (http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TXT.N)) for over $1 billion.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Bernard Orr (http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=bernard.orr&))

Цитироватьsilentpom пишет:
а кому оно без контрактов с наса и пентагоном нужно?

Цитироватьsilentpom пишет:
я не понял о чем мы. аэроджет до 2019 в принципе не успеет создать новый носитель, запустить его в производство, отлетать несколько текстовых пусков и пройти сертификацию. тем более что это все накроется медным тазом если ULA успеет запустить BE-4, а что там Маск сделает вообще не ясно - ниши для третьего ракетостроителя просто не будет. Потому решение купить ULA и продавить в него свой движок - вполне логично.

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:
Ничего не понимаю. Аэроджет хочет купить ЮЛА вместе с Боингом и Локхидом или что?  :o

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет: 
Аэроджнт хотел купить юлу у боинга и локхида. Боинг отказал. Локхид молчит.

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Аэроджнт хотел купить юлу у боинга и локхида. Боинг отказал. Локхид молчит.

Ээээ... А "ЮЛА" это разве не картель Боинга и Локхида и без них не существует?  :o

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет: 
Это отдельная фирма принадлежащая боингу и локхиду пополам.

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Это отдельная фирма принадлежащая боингу и локхиду пополам.

Ой... И чего, они продают ей ракеты а она перепродаёт их правительству США?
Я честно не знаю и потому интересуюсь.

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:

ЦитироватьСтарый пишет:

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Это отдельная фирма принадлежащая боингу и локхиду пополам.

Ой... И чего, они продают ей ракеты а она перепродаёт их правительству США?
Я честно не знаю и потому интересуюсь.

Деталей я не знаю, но зачем? Правительству ничто не мешает заключать контракты прямо с ula.

ЦитироватьКарте́ль — форма монополистического объединения или соглашения. В отличие от других, более устойчивых форм монополистических структур (синдикаты, тресты, концерны), каждое предприятие, вошедшее в состав картеля, сохраняет финансовую и производственную самостоятельность. Объектами соглашения могут быть: ценообразование, сферы влияния, условия продаж, использование патентов, регулирование объёмов производства, согласование условий сбыта продукции, наём рабочих. Действует, как правило, в рамках одной отрасли. Затрудняет функционирование рыночных механизмов

[/li]
• that it is officially separate from its Founders, who might otherwise be giant corporations, even amongst the emerging countries
• the JV can contract in its own name, acquire rights (such as the right to buy new companies), and
• it has a separate liability from that of its founders, except for invested capital
• it can sue (and be sued) in courts in defense or its pursuance of its objectives.
  

ЦитироватьLast summer, Aerojet's board also rejected ULA's request that Aerojet invest $300 million to accelerate work on the AR-1 engine it is developing as an alternative to the Russian RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas V rocket, the sources said.
U.S. lawmakers last year banned use of the Russian engines for U.S. military and spy satellite launches after 2019, to protest Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.
Aerojet's refusal to invest more in the AR-1 engine ultimately drove ULA to opt for the BE-4 engine being developed by privately held Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon.com founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, the sources said.

ЦитироватьOct. 5, 2015
Green Propellant Infusion Mission Passes Spacecraft Integration Milestone, On Track for 2016 Launch
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/231564.jpg)
A Ball Aerospace engineer adjusts the thermal insulation on NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission spacecraft bus following integration of the propulsion system.
Credits: Ball Aerospace
 
The propulsion subsystem for NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission has been integrated onto the spacecraft, moving the mission another major step toward scheduled launch in 2016.
GPIM prime contractor Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. (http://www.ballaerospace.com/) in Boulder, Colorado, was able to integrate the green propellant propulsion subsystem in less than two weeks after receiving it from Aerojet Rocketdyne (http://www.rocket.com/) in Redmond, Washington. The propulsion subsystem will be the primary payload on the mission's spacecraft -- a Ball Configurable Platform 100 small satellite. System performance and environmental testing has already begun.
The mission will demonstrate the practical capabilities of a hydroxyl ammonium nitrate based fuel/oxidizer propellant blend, known as AF-M315E, developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL/) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. It offers higher performance but is safer to handle and easier on the environment or "greener" than traditional chemical fuels such as hydrazine currently used in spacecraft thrusters. It also requires fewer handling restrictions and has potentially shorter launch processing times, resulting in lowered costs.
Because the new propellant provides improved performance and volumetric efficiency compared to hydrazine, more of it can be stored in propellant tanks of the same volume, resulting in a 50-percent increase in spacecraft maneuvering capability for a given volume. It also has a lower freezing point than hydrazine, requiring less spacecraft power to maintain the propellant temperature. These characteristics make it ideal for a wide range of emerging small, deep space satellite missions.
"NASA is always looking for new technologies that also allow us an opportunity to improve safety and cost efficiency," said Trudy Kortes, program executive for NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/main/). "GPIM additionally affords us an opportunity to test an environmentally-friendly fuel in space for the first time and there's nothing more rewarding than a trailblazing mission."
The GPIM propulsion subsystem on the satellite will be loaded with the low-toxicity AF-M315E propellant before launch. During the 13-month mission, researchers will conduct orbital maneuvers to demonstrate the performance of the propellant during attitude control shifts, changes in orbital inclination and orbit lowering.
"GPIM is the key mission to demonstrate a green monopropellant alternative to hydrazine," said Jim Oschmann, vice president and general manager of Civil Space and Technology at Ball Aerospace. "Everyone in the industry, from NASA to our industry partners to green propellant suppliers, is eager to see 10 years of American-led research and development realized with this spaceflight mission."
Three Department of Defense experimental payloads will also fly aboard the Green Propellant Infusion Mission spacecraft, which is scheduled for a launch to low-Earth orbit in 2016 in partnership with the Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Additional team members include the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (http://www.losangeles.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5318) at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and NASA's Glenn Research Center (http://www.nasa.gov/glenn) in Cleveland, Goddard Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/goddard) in Maryland and Kennedy Space Center (http://www.nasa.gov/kennedy) in Florida.
The mission is part of a portfolio of technology demonstration flight and ground projects led by NASA teams and industry partners across the country, managed by the Technology Demonstration Missions (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/main/) program office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/home/index.html) in Huntsville, Alabama.
Technology demonstration missions are sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/home/index.html) in Washington, which is innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in future missions. NASA's technology investments provide cutting-edge solutions for our nation's future. For more information about the directorate, visit:
 

http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

For more information about the NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission, visit:
 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/green/overview.html

For more information about NASA's Technology Demonstration Missions, visit:
 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/main/

Kim Newton
 Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Давно меня интересовало - Безос хочет, Маск сделал, а Аэроджет не задумывался о своём носителе?  :oops:  

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
Интересно, а Super Strypi за таковую не сойдет?  ;)  

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
А каким боком этот Скаут-Х к Аэроджету?  :o  

ЦитироватьThe LEONIDAS program objective is to develop a low cost, small satellite launch capability. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the sole source supplier of the 3-stage propulsion system using robust and affordable Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs): LEO-46, LEO-7, and LEO-1.

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
Apollo13 ,

ЦитироватьThe LEONIDAS program objective is to develop a low cost, small satellite launch capability. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the sole source supplier of the 3-stage propulsion system using robust and affordable Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs): LEO-46, LEO-7, and LEO-1.

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
Apollo13 ,

ЦитироватьThe LEONIDAS program objective is to develop a low cost, small satellite launch capability. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the sole source supplier of the 3-stage propulsion system using robust and affordable Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs): LEO-46, LEO-7, and LEO-1.

Но как это поможет сохранить производство ЖРД?

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
За счет RS-25, идущего на SLS. Обещают аж целый пуск раз в год.

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:

ЦитироватьАлександр Ч. пишет:
За счет RS-25, идущего на SLS. Обещают аж целый пуск раз в год.

Или в два. Но на первые 3 пуска есть двигатели от Шаттлов. Там еще RL-10. Может даже 4 штуки.  :)  

Цитировать http://www.americaspace.com/?p=85324
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/222530.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA currently have 16 RS-25 engines in inventory at Stennis—14 of which are veterans of numerous space shuttle missions. Aerojet Rocketdyne just recently finished assembly of the 16th engine (engine 2063), one of the space agency's two "rookie" RS-25s. It will be one of four RS-25 engines that will be employed to power the SLS Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2), the second SLS launch currently targeted for the year 2021. All of the engines have already been assigned to their SLS flights.

Цитироватьhttp://fortune.com/2015/09/24/blue-origin-bids-winner/
Blue Origin the only winner in failed NewSpace deal       
                                     

[/li]
• by 
•                                                                                                           Clay Dillow                                                                                                                 (http://fortune.com/author/clay-dillow/)
  

[/li]
•                      @cwdillow (https://twitter.com/cwdillow)
  

September 24, 2015, 7:58 AM EDT          



                 
                                                           (https://fortunedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/gettyimages-488303710.jpg?quality=80&w=840&h=485&crop=1)                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is taking on the competitive NewSpace industry with his startup Blue Origin.
For a few days last week it looked like the private spaceflight industry was poised for a tectonic realignment.
Industry reports (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/08/us-lockheedmartin-boeing-aerojet-rocketd-idUSKCN0R82R020150908) claimed that legacy rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne made a $2 billion cash offer to buy United Launch Alliance (ULA). For those unaware, ULA is a 50/50 joint venture between Boeing                                                  (http://fortune.com/company/ba/)BA (http://fortune.com/company/BA)                   1.78%                                        and Lockheed Martin                                                  (http://fortune.com/company/lmt/)LMT (http://fortune.com/company/LMT)                   1.21%                                        and the U.S. national security establishment's sole launch provider for large satellites.
However, a week later, it seems the deal was called off (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/16/us-lockheed-martin-boeing-aerojet-idUSKCN0RG24M20150916). A Boeing spokesperson dismissed the proposed deal, saying Boeing leadership never seriously entertained the offer.
 
The deal could've created a rocket-building behemoth by combining Aerojet's propulsion supply chain and ULA's Atlas V launch vehicles by positioning the new group to better compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX, the current market disruptor in the launch space. It certainly would've altered the competitive landscape, tying together multiple legacy aerospace companies and their accumulated technological know-how.
 
Even though the deal fell apart, it didn't prevent the private spaceflight industry from undergoing some significant change last week. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin—a so-called NewSpace venture— wasn't explicitly involved in the Aerojet-ULA deal, but does play a role in the industry's future. Aerojet's attempted purchase of ULA underscores Blue Origin's emerging clout in the private spaceflight arena, and just how much money some companies would spend to try to control it.
"I think it suggests Blue Origin is a major disruptive force," says Carissa Christensen, a founder and managing partner at aerospace and defense consulting firm The Tauri Group. "This whole conversation wouldn't be happening without Blue Origin and its relationship with ULA. And that's fascinating."
To understand Blue Origin's role in this drama, one has to delve a bit into the economics of rocket building. The rocket business is both capital intensive and highly specialized, with a very limited number of potential customers in line to purchase any given piece of hardware. As such, it's important for companies in the space to have long-term commitments; developing and testing new clean-sheet rocket engines can take four to five years and cost tens (if not hundreds) of millions of dollars. A company without contracts can quickly find itself in trouble.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is currently developing an engine called the AR-1 for ULA's Atlas V rockets (Congress is trying to wean ULA and the Atlas V off of its current engine (http://fortune.com/2015/05/15/russia-rocket-ban/), the Russian-built RD-180). However in an ongoing effort to trim costs and better compete with SpaceX, ULA is developing a new rocket called Vulcan. Vulcan also needs rocket engines, and Aerojet would very much like the AR-1 to fill that role. But last year, in a move that surprised many in the industry, ULA tapped Blue Origin to develop a potential engine for Vulcan as well.
Blue Origin's BE-4 engine represents a departure from traditional rocket engine technology. It runs on liquid methane rather than the typical kerosene-based rocket fuel powering most liquid-fueled rockets today. Keeping methane in a liquid state requires some additional technological complexity in the way of cooling systems and tanks that maintain temperatures of nearly 300 below zero Fahrenheit. Yet Blue Origin's BE-4 seems to be the favorite at ULA, a point reiterated just last week. On September 10—after Aerojet's rumored bid for ULA was announced and later quashed by Boeing—ULA announced that it had entered an agreement with Blue Origin to help expand its production capabilities for the BE-4.
If ULA goes with Blue Origin's engine for Vulcan it's clearly bad news for Aerojet. So while an Aerojet-ULA tie up would create plenty of product synergies and efficiencies, what Aerojet really wants for its $2 billion is a steady customer.
"I think objectively such a deal would be a very smart deal for Aerojet if they could close it," Christensen says. "They have a limited customer base and ULA has been looking seriously at Blue Origin as a supplier. So if Aerojet could make this work through an acquisition and force its own supplier relationship, that would be very good for Aerojet."
Given the events of the past few days, such a deal doesn't appear likely. Meanwhile, Blue Origin has in the span of a week unveiled plans for a new reusable orbital rocket, a new Florida-based facility for manufacturing, testing, and launching the company's rockets and rocket engines (including the BE-4). It also quietly provoked a competitor to put $2 billion on the table.
That marks a huge change in stature for Bezos's secretive space startup, which has received far less federal money and attention than competitors like SpaceX (through NASA's commercial crew program) or Aerojet Rocketdyne (as contractor for the main engine on the Space Shuttle and for NASA's upcoming Space Launch System). Though the private spaceflight industry didn't see a blockbuster multi-billion-dollar deal this past week, it may have witnessed something more significant behind the scenes.
"What's happening right now is happening because of the relationship between ULA and Blue Origin and its affect on Aerojet," Christensen says. "It's just amazing that a truly commercial company is in there making that impact."

ЦитироватьOrbital ATK Settlement Drags Down Aerojet Rocketdyne
by Warren Ferster (http://spacenews.com/author/warren-ferster/) — October 14, 2015
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155526.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's AJ-26, the main engine on Orbital ATK's Antares rocket, has been blamed in the Oct. 28, 2014, failure of that vehicle, which destroyed a load of cargo bound for the International Space Station. Credit: NASA  
 
WASHINGTON — Aerojet Rocketdyne's losses widened during the third quarter of 2015 compared with the same period last year due in part to its $50 million settlement with Orbital ATK stemming from last October's failure of the latter's Antares rocket.
In an Oct. 13 press release, Sacramento, California-based Aerojet Rocketdyne also said it has spent $24 million so far this fiscal year working on its AR1 engine, which the company has proposed as a replacement for the RD-180, the main engine on United Launch Alliance's government workhorse Atlas 5 rocket. Congress has mandated that the Pentagon stop using Russian-made engines to launch its satellites, but ULA has made Blue Origin's BE-4 the leading replacement candidate.
During the three-month period ending Aug. 31, Aerojet Rocketdyne reported a net loss of $38.1 million on $440.5 million in net sales. The company lost $10 million during the 2014 third quarter, owing largely to a $17.5 million loss related to its contract to supply Orbital ATK with AJ-26 engines, one of which failed on a test stand earlier that year.
The AJ-26, the main engine on Antares, has been blamed in the Oct. 28, 2014, failure of that vehicle, which destroyed a load of cargo bound for the International Space Station. Aerojet in September announced it has settled with Orbital ATK over the engine's role in the failure, which ultimately led to Orbital ATK selecting a different Russian-made engine for Antares.
Aerojet Rocketdyne also cited a $29.5 million environmental remediation expense as a contributor its losing quarter.
Solid rocket motors, primarily for U.S. missile defense programs, continue to be Aerojet Rocketdyne's largest source of revenue. The company booked $61.2 million and $55.6 million on the Theater High Altitude Area Defense and Standard Missile programs, respectively, during the quarter, with both figures representing substantial increases over the same period last year.
The company also reported $50.2 million in net sales from the RS-25 engine being developed for NASA's Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket program, a 70 percent increase over the 2014 third quarter. Net sales on NASA's Orion capsule were $20.1 million, up by more than 30 percent.
But Aerojet's business with ULA, for which it supplies RL-10 upper-stage and RS-68 main-stage engines, was down sharply during the quarter. Net sales on the RL-10 were $26.8 million, a decline of nearly 30 percent, while for the RS-68 net sales were $24.9 million, down by more than 30 percent.

Цитироватьsilentpom пишет:
"Net sales on the RL-10 were $26.8 million," кто нить знает сколько это в штуках двигателей?

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Cuts Ribbon on Premiere Propulsion and Innovation Center    
November 06, 2015 15:01 ET   | Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne  
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 6, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD (http://globenewswire.com/News/Listing?symbol=AJRD&exchange=4)), today hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by more than 300 people, including local dignitaries, suppliers, customers, company leaders and employees. The event celebrated the company's completion of a $140 million infrastructure improvement project that has increased operating efficiency, reduced costs and positioned the company to bring new programs to the Los Angeles facility.
    "Over the past 11 years, our Los Angeles site has undergone a complex construction project focused on creating a world-class facility capable of manufacturing large liquid rocket engines," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "With the completion of this project, Aerojet Rocketdyne has a premiere propulsion and innovation center to design and build rocket engines. With this newly completed facility, coupled with our technical expertise, we will now be able to build the engines that will take astronauts to Mars and continue our leadership in launching the nation's most critical and valuable national security assets."
    The Los Angeles site is Aerojet Rocketdyne's center of excellence for large liquid rocket engines, where it currently manufactures the RS-68 engine components for United Launch Alliance's Delta IV launch vehicle; adapts the RS-25 engine for the Space Launch System, America's next generation heavy lift launch vehicle; builds missile defense propulsion; and most recently, it has become the design center for the AR1 engine, which the company is developing to replace the Russian-made RD-180 engine on the Atlas V launch vehicle.
    "This investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment toward innovation and the next generation of world-leading propulsion systems, such as the RS-25 and AR1 advanced liquid rocket engines," added Drake. "Aerojet Rocketdyne has been the go-to provider of U.S. propulsion systems for the last 70 years and RS-25 and AR1 will continue that legacy."
    The RS-25 and AR1 engines are examples of capitalizing on proven, heritage systems to enable space exploration for generations to come and answer the urgent needs of national security. Aerojet Rocketdyne has been working on the RS-25 engines since they originally flew on the space shuttle. Four of these engines will fly at the base of the core stage for the Space Launch System, which is the rocket that will eventually take humans to Mars. The company is also currently building the AR1 engine to address the nation's need to end the country's reliance on Russia to launch national security space assets. The AR1 is the logical choice to minimize risk, cost and address the schedule needs of the country to have an American engine ready for 2019.
    The project included the construction of a new 24,000-square-foot Component Test Center that provides unique structural, vibration, pressure, water flow and spin test capabilities; a new 20,000-square-foot nozzle assembly and fabrication center that includes a one-of-a-kind furnace that is capable of brazing the nozzle for the RS-25 engine; and a new 11,000-square-foot metallic and non-metallic materials testing lab.
    Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=qVppiQiH94RBvk_7OJ1IGvWXZLHHeNh7f8bSQYJTHLSNzvwVRksjkI8VggjFAKnAsauAKby2otOAYWTd9WEzPg%3D%3D) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=RuviUIbVRim3VR6Xt_IPp1Vhk-zE7yLTmu_h4yTQnbxA9jZzJFLqRC0XfMHA0He7ItisGNEs3r3SNFoeO4t9jhZj22uwOGy8ffMoQR44_ng%3D).

ЦитироватьNov 23, 2015
 Aerojet Rocketdyne Signs Contract to Support New Era of Human Spaceflight for America
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), has signed a contract with Boeing valued at nearly $200 million that supports a new era of spaceflight - one that will carry humans to the International Space Station (ISS) from American soil once again. Under its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) subcontract to Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne is completing the design, development, qualification, certification and initial production of the Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 "Starliner" service module propulsion system.
 A CST-100 Starliner partner and team member since 2010, Aerojet Rocketdyne's work continues the development of the service module and launch abort propulsion system from prior commercial crew contracts with Boeing.
 "Aerojet Rocketdyne is leveraging adaptations of proven hardware and technologies to deliver an affordable reliable propulsion system that can be counted on to perform throughout the spacecraft's mission and ensure the safety of the astronauts and success of the mission," said Terry Lorier, Aerojet Rocketdyne's CST-100 service module propulsion system program manager. "We are honored to play a critical role in continuing our nation's legacy in human-rated spaceflight, as well as helping to revolutionize how our great country accesses and explores space."
 Under the CCtCap contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will provide seven shipsets of hardware with options for additional shipsets. Each production hardware shipset will include four Launch Abort Engines (LAEs), 24 Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control (OMAC) engines, 28 Reaction Control System (RCS) engines, 164 valves, 12 tanks and more than 500 feet of ducts, lines and tubing. Boeing will assemble hardware kits into the service module section of the CST-100 spacecraft at its Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aerojet Rocketdyne also provides hardware supporting the Qualification Test Vehicle; Service Module hot fire testing, which will take place at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico; the orbital flight test, which will be launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida; and Pad Abort testing, which will occur at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The CST-100 is scheduled to deliver astronauts to the ISS for NASA, beginning in 2017.
 The Starliner service module propulsion system provides integrated launch abort capability on the pad and during ascent, along with all propulsion needs during a nominal flight - from launch vehicle separation, docking and undocking from the ISS, and through separation of the crew and service modules when the spacecraft begins to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. During re-entry, the crew module propulsion is then provided by monopropellant thrusters from Aerojet Rocketdyne manufactured at its facility in Redmond, Washington.
 The Starliner abort propulsion system is designed to quickly "push" a crew capsule toward safety if an abort is necessary. If unused for an abort, the propellant is then used to complete the spacecraft's nominal mission. The Starliner service module propulsion system includes 40,000-pound thrust launch abort engines used only in an abort; 1,500-pound thrust class OMAC engines that provide low-altitude launch abort attitude control; maneuvering and stage-separation functions; high-altitude direct abort capability and large orbital maneuvers; and 28 100-pound thrust class RCS engines that provide high-altitude abort attitude control, on-orbit low delta-v maneuvering function and space station re-boost capability.
 Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10157117&l=7&a=www.Rocket.com&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rocket.com%2F) and  www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/ctr?d=10157117&l=7&a=www.AerojetRocketdyne.com&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aerojetrocketdyne.com%2F).

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185659.jpg) James Dean Подлинная учетная запись ‏@flatoday_jdean (https://twitter.com/flatoday_jdean)
Now in bigger news for Aerojet Rocketdyne: $1.2B NASA contract to restart RS-25 engine production for SLS rocket; runs through Sept. 2024.
 14:10 - 23 нояб. 2015 г.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne возобновит производство РС-25 по контракту с НАСА
02:53 24.11.2015

ВАШИНГТОН, 24 ноя — РИА Новости. Ракетостроительная корпорация Aerojet Rocketdyne (Рокетдайн) получила контракт стоимостью 1,16 миллиарда долларов на возобновление производства модернизированных двигателей РС-25 (RS-25) для новейшей американской ракеты SLS, сообщило Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию комического пространства (НАСА) в понедельник.

"По условиям контракта стоимостью 1,16 миллиарда долларов, Aerojet Rocketdyne модернизирует унаследованный от программы "Спейс Шаттл" двигатель и сделает его более доступным и применимым для SLS", — говорится в сообщении НАСА.

Планируется, что SLS, которой предстоит вывести в космос новый космический корабль Orion, будет оснащена четырьмя двигателями РС-25. Orion разрабатывается НАСА для полетов за пределы МКС и миссии на Марс. Первый тестовый полет новой ракеты намечен на 2018 год. По информации НАСА, для первых четырех полетов SLS будут использованы созданные ранее для полетов "Спейс Шаттла" и модернизированные для нужд новой ракеты 16 двигателей.

По контракту, который истекает 30 сентября 2024 года, Aerojet Rocketdyne обязуется модернизировать уже имеющиеся двигатели и разработать на их основе новые. "Новые RS-25, разработанные по контракту, будут иметь меньшее количество деталей и сварочных швов и будут способны создавать больший уровень тяги", — отмечают в НАСА. Контракт предусматривает возможность будущей модификации двигателя и позволяет НАСА размещать заказ на двигатели для шести запусков.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
По условиям контракта стоимостью 1,16 миллиарда долларов

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
заказ на двигатели для шести запусков.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Из них шестнадцать б/у. Кроме того часть пусков могут быть опционом к контракту.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne wins propulsion contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion       
Posted on November 27, 2015 by Stephen Clark (http://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154805.png) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154805.png)
An RS-25 engine fires on the test stand in Mississippi in August as part of a series of test burns to check out the engine's new electronics controller. Credit: NASA
 
NASA and Boeing have awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne widely-anticipated contracts to restart the production of simplified shuttle-era rocket engines for the heavy-lift Space Launch System and supply the propulsion system for the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew capsule, officials announced this week.
The deals are welcome news for Aerojet Rocketdyne, which in the last year has lost an engine contract for Orbital ATK's Antares rocket and is running second in a race with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to supply engines for United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket.
The Space Launch System contract announced Monday, valued at $1.16 billion, begins the process to resume production of RS-25 engines after the assembly line was shut down nearly a decade ago in the final years of the space shuttle program.
"The first phase of this contract covers the scope of work related to restarting the production lines for RS-25 plus the materials of future production efforts," said Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokesperson. "The second phase, which will include a contract modification at a later date, is related to the labor required for the delivery of six new flight engines."

Спойлер

The future modification would enable the space agency to order six engines, enough for one SLS flight with two spares. A seventh engine is included in the deal for use in ground certification testing, Glenn Mahone, an Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesperson, told Spaceflight Now.
Two other engines will be retrofitted for ground tests, Warner said.
The engines will be built at Aerojet Rocketdyne's DeSoto plant in Chatsworth, California, with final assembly and testing at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
NASA's current inventory includes 16 RS-25 engines left over fr om the space shuttle program, enough for four SLS missions. The construction of six new engines enables a fifth SLS flight in the 2020s.
"SLS is America's next generation heavy-lift system," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of advanced space and launch programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne, in a press release. "This is the rocket that will enable humans to leave low Earth orbit and travel deeper into the solar system, eventually taking humans to Mars."
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154780.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154780.jpg)
Artist's concept of the Space Launch System, powered off the launch pad by four RS-25 core stage engines and two solid rocket boosters. Credit: NASA/MSFC
 
NASA previously said it was negotiating with Aerojet Rocketdyne for the sole-source RS-25 production contract.
A statement released by Aerojet Rocketdyne said the contract runs fr om November 2015 through Sept. 30, 2024.
Each Space Launch System flight will be powered by four RS-25 engines at the bottom of the rocket's core stage, plus two solid rocket boosters, enlarged variants of the solid-fueled motors fr om the space shuttle program.
The first test flight of the Space Launch System is scheduled for 2018 — along with an unpiloted Orion crew spacecraft — flying in its 70-metric ton (77-ton) configuration with a second stage derived from United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 rocket. A bigger upper stage, needed to carry cargo such as habitats into deep space, will debut on a later SLS flight, possibly as soon as the launcher's second flight with a crewed Orion on-board some time between 2021 and 2023.
Originally designed in the 1970s, the RS-25 engine burns a mixture of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants and generates up to 512,300 pounds of thrust in vacuum. In 405 engine flights through the life of the shuttle program, only one engine failed, with little impact to the mission.
In an interview with Spaceflight Now in August, Van Kleeck said Aerojet Rocketdyne targeted a 30 percent reduction in the price of an RS-25 engine in the new production contract, largely due to 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, technology.
The engines will also be simplified because they will not be reusable like the space shuttle's engines. Because the engines will be discarded after each SLS flight, engineers plan to run them at higher thrust levels.
The engines on the first SLS test flight in 2018 will run at 109 percent of rated thrust, up from the 104 percent setting normally used on shuttle launches. Officials plan to eventually certify the engine for a 111 percent thrust level.
"On shuttle, we would light the engines, they would take off, they'd fly for eight-and-a-half minutes and they'd come back with the orbiters," said Timothy Duquette, an SLS engines engineer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. "For SLS, it's not coming back. So these are now expendable engines. One of the things that allows us to do is we actually run them at slightly higher thrust than we used to, a higher power level. It's a little harder on the engine, we're running it a little closer to redline, but it's safe, especially for short durations on a mission like SLS."
Van Kleeck said Aerojet Rocketdyne will consolidate its engine production at the company's DeSoto plant in Chatsworth, California, after shutting down a facility in nearby Canoga Park, further streamlining the factory processing.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154775.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154775.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne technicians work on an RS-25 engine at the company's facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Credit: Stephen Clark/Spaceflight Now
 
The engine design will also get a review to identify obsolete components.
"Obsolescence is an issue we deal with in rockets all the time because you deal with low volumes, and so we've got pretty good processes for monitoring that, as well as trying to do risk management for that purpose," Van Kleeck told Spaceflight Now in August, when NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne were in negotiations for the new RS-25 contract.
Engineers are already testing a modernized computer controller — developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne and Honeywell — for the engine. It will be introduced on the first SLS flight.
"For example, the controller was essentially obsolete," Van Kleeck said. "We built a new controller — a brand new design — because electronics and computers have really evolved quite a lot in the last few decades.
"We'll go through the entire engine, and part of restarting the build is to make sure that we've dealt with any obsolescence if we have any," Van Kleeck said. "If the last supplier went out of business, what do we do about that?"
She said the new flight-ready RS-25 engines are targeted for delivery to NASA in 2022 or 2023.
The engine cost-cutting initiative is vital to NASA's goal of flying the Space Launch System once per year after the first crewed mission in the early 2020s, an objective that Bill Hill, head of the agency's exploration systems programs, said in August requires the rocket to cost less than a billion dollars per flight.
Managing the launch costs will also help NASA afford habitation modules and other advanced systems needed for long-duration human expeditions into deep space, all aimed at paving the way for astronaut trips to the vicinity of Mars, a mission NASA says is possible in the 2030s.
"Not only will ($1 billion launch costs) get us to one per year, but if we have a flat-line $3 billion budget and it costs me a billion dollars for SLS, and say half a billion dollars for Orion ... then I've got some head room to go do other things like buy a habitat and other things that we're going to need to operate in space for the long-term."
So how is the SLS team doing on cost?
"We're a good ways away," Hill told Spaceflight Now in August. "I got my first report in our budget cycle this year, and it was a lot higher than I expected. Orion was a little bit better, so I think we've got work to do ... We've got to get our cost of our engines down and that's part of this, and part of what Aerojet Rocketdyne is doing with their new plant in DeSoto, just to get it to a point wh ere we can afford to fly this thing on a yearly basis."
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154806.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154806.jpg)
Crews lift Engine No. 2059, the first SLS flight engine to be tested, into the A-1 test stand at Stennis on Nov. 4. Credit: NASA
 
The unit cost for each new RS-25 engine under the contract announced this week has not been disclosed, but Hill said NASA hopes to reduce its cost to $50 million or $60 million per engine.
"That still is a lot of money when you consider you're using four of those per mission," Hill said. "We're looking at affordability initiatives with Aerojet Rocketdyne. It's trying to get them to take a look at their processes, how they actually build the engine, can you use selective laser melting on certain parts? The whole selective laser melting will revolutionize manufacturing, especially in our industry, and if we can get those things down wh ere you can machine a critical part — a complex part — wh ere it might have taken you six-to-eight months, and you can do it in maybe two or three, that's very helpful."
Despite the cost and complexity, NASA officials said the existing stockpile of RS-25 engines, along with its high performance, made the shuttle-era propulsion system an obvious choice for the Space Launch System.
"It's the best technical solution, by far, for SLS propulsion," said Steve Wofford, manager of the SLS liquid engines office at Marshall. "It's also the most affordable solution for this vehicle.
"In addition to those 16 engines (in inventory), it's also a stable design, so the cost and time associated with going through the design, fail, fix cycles to develop a new engine are enormous," Wofford said.
Company also gets nod for CST-100 propulsion system
Aerojet Rocketdyne, an aerospace propulsion contractor based in Sacramento, California, also announced this week it secured an expected contract from Boeing to provide thrusters, fuel tanks and abort engines for the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew capsule.
The CST-100 contract is worth nearly $200 million, Aerojet Rocketdyne said in a statement, and it covers seven "shipsets," or complete propulsion kits, for the crew capsule's service module.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154787.jpg) (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/154787.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne has worked on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner program for several years. An orbital maneuvering and attitude control thruster is pictured here in a 2012 vacuum chamber test. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
Each shipset includes four 40,000-pound thrust launch abort engines for the CST-100's pusher escape system and 24 orbital maneuvering and attitude control thrusters, each generating 1,500 pounds of thrust for low-altitude abort attitude control and in-space orbit adjustments.
Each propulsion kit also has 28 reaction control system engines for high-altitude abort attitude control, smaller burns in orbit, and space station re-boost capability. The shipsets also include 164 valves, 12 tanks and more than 500 feet of ducts, lines and tubing for the service module propulsion system, Aerojet Rocketdyne said.
Boeing plans to reuse the CST-100 crew module, but the service module will be jettisoned to burn up in Earth's atmosphere on re-entry. Smaller Aerojet Rocketdyne thrusters will guide the crew capsule through the atmosphere before parachutes and airbags deploy for touchdown on land.
The crew and service modules are constructed by Boeing engineers at the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, a refurbished space shuttle hangar, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The first CST-100 test flights, first without a crew and then with astronauts, are scheduled for 2017. A standard operational crew rotation mission to the International Space Station will carry four astronauts and a limited amount of cargo.
NASA sel ected Boeing and SpaceX last year to complete development of new commercially-owned spaceships to end U.S. reliance on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and fr om the space station.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne is leveraging adaptations of proven hardware and technologies to deliver an affordable reliable propulsion system that can be counted on to perform throughout the spacecraft's mission and ensure the safety of the astronauts and success of the mission," said Terry Lorier, Aerojet Rocketdyne's CST-100 service module propulsion system program manager. "We are honored to play a critical role in continuing our nation's legacy in human-rated spaceflight, as well as helping to revolutionize how our great country accesses and explores space."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьWhen our national security and future in space are at stake,
proven and ready should top unproven
and inexperienced every time.
 
In 2014, the U.S. government took a firm stand to end dependence on Russian engines. The president signed into law a measure requiring the United States to develop a domestically produced next-generation rocket propulsion system by 2019, in order to end reliance on the Russian RD-180 rocket engine used to power the nation's most reliable launch vehicle.
The AR1 engine is as close to a 'drop-in' replacement for the RD-180 as you can get and is configurable to multiple launch vehicles.
Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine is an example of capitalizing on proven, heritage launch systems coupled with today's innovations to answer the urgent needs of national security.
 Lowest Risk
 Aerojet Rocketdyne is the only company in the U.S. that has ever developed and flown large booster engines.
 Lowest Cost
 AR1 requires minimal changes to infrastructure, launch operations and production facilities for the nation's most reliable launch vehicle. This adaptability offers the lowest cost to taxpayers.
 Fastest Path
 Rapid development and certification of the AR1 will take place at existing manufacturing and test facilities with delivery of a flight-qualified engine by 2019

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185681.jpg) Eileen Drake ‏@DrakeEileen  (https://twitter.com/DrakeEileen)  
Congrats to @ULALaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) @OrbitalATK (https://twitter.com/OrbitalATK) @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) who helped propel historic #Atlas (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Atlas?src=hash) V #Cygnus (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cygnus?src=hash) cargo launch to #ISS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISS?src=hash) with 466th #RL10 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/RL10?src=hash) engine
  11:54 - 7 дек. 2015 г.  

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Finishes Design Review on Proposed RD-180 Replacement
by Mike Gruss (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-gruss/) — December 17, 2015
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155571.jpg)
A 1/6 scale model of the AR1 engine currently in development by Aerojet Rocketdyne as a replacement for the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne  
 
WASHINGTON — Aerojet Rocketdyne said Dec. 17 that the AR1 engine it hopes to build for United Launch Alliance's next-generation rocket has completed a key design review.
The review, similar to a preliminary design review used in government acquisition, clears the way for further development of the kerosene-fueled engine.
Aerojet Rocketdyne officials have said the AR1 engine could be ready for the test stand by 2017 and certified for flight by 2019.
"This is one of the most important design reviews the program will undergo during its development," Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet Rocketdyne's vice president of advanced space and launch programs, said in a Dec. 17 press release. "We apply rigorous design reviews as part of our overall development program, minimizing risk and helping ensure that we will meet the delivery schedule on a program of such national significance as AR1."
The review included an examination of 18 subsystems and components that make up the engine to ensure they work properly by themselves and within the engine.
Congress has given the U.S. Air Force a 2019 deadline for fielding an American-made propulsion system capable of ending the Defense Department's dependence on the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas 5 rocket.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is developing the AR1 as a replacement for the RD-180. While ULA is supporting AR1 development, ULA has indicated that Blue Origin's BE-4 engine is the leading candidate to replace the RD-180 and power Vulcan.
In June, Tory Bruno, ULA's chief executive, told Congress that Blue Origin's BE-4 engine development program is 16 months ahead of Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 effort. ULA expects to make a final decision on which engine to pursue in late 2016.
However, Bruno said in Aerojet Rockedyne's Dec. 17 press release that the Sacramento, California-based propulsion house "is making excellent progress" on the engine.
Meanwhile, the Air Force is expected to award as many as four contracts in the coming weeks worth a combined $160 million for new prototype rocket propulsions systems. Aerojet Rocketdyne is vying for one of those contracts.

ЦитироватьA 1/6 scale model of the AR1 engine currently in development by Aerojet Rocketdyne as a replacement for the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket.

ЦитироватьNASA signs SAA with Aerojet Rocketdyne to use Stennis test stand for AR1 engine
Jason Rhian
 




NASA's Stennis Space Center has entered into a Space Act Agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop systems to test the AR 1 rocket engine. Photo Credit: Jason Rhian / SpaceFlight Insider


NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne (http://www.rocket.com) have signed a Space Act Agreement (SAA (https://www.nasa.gov/open/plan) ) for testing of the latter's AR1 multi-element pre-burner and main injector. The AR1 is considered to be an important offering as it is one of several domestically-produced rocket engines which could end U.S. dependence on Russian-built engines.
The AR1  (http://www.rocket.com/ar1-booster-engine)is being developed for possible use on United Launch Alliance's (ULA (http://www.ulalaunch.com) ) Atlas V family of launch vehicles, which currently use the NPO Energomash RD-180 rocket engine in the booster's first stage. When asked, representatives with the company provided details as to what would occur at the E1 test stand.
"Key modifications of the Stennis E1 Cell 2 include upgrades to the pressurization and propellant feed systems and integration of the Aerojet Rocketdyne-provided test hardware," Aerojet Rocketdyne's Glenn Mahone told SpaceFlight Insider.
According to the company, this agreement builds on the current assembly and testing of the company's RS-68 and RS-25 engines at NASA's Stennis Space Center. AR will now utilize an incremental approach to implement this plan.
"The AR1 Program is using a stair-step approach to validation and verification testing to incrementally reduce technical and programmatic risk. Incremental testing of key hardware allows risk to be reduced as the design is matured. Testing at the sub-scale and full-scale component levels can be conducted more cost-effectively than waiting for full engine-level testing. It can also be conducted earlier in the overall engine development cycle, allowing knowledge gained to be incorporated into the full-scale engine," Mahone said.
Under the SAA, Aerojet Rocketdyne will pay NASA's Stennis Space Center to modify the E-1 Complex cell 2 during a period that should last about half a year. The modifications should see the test stand configured to support AR1 staged combustion testing.
"This is another example of Aerojet Rocketdyne's focus to maintain schedule for the United States to be able to have AR1 ready to fly in 2019, to keep our country on track to end dependence on Russian engines," said Aerojet Rocketdyne's Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space & Launch.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234641.jpg) (http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/AR1_test.jpg)
Hot-fire testing of a multi-element pre-burner injector for the AR1 rocket engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne recently conducted a hot-fire test of a similar multi-element injector built using additive (3-D) manufacturing this spring. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne


The AR1 has two combustion devices, a pre-burner and main injector/combustion chamber. These two components are crucial to the operation of the rocket engine. Aerojet Rocketdyne has maintained a busy schedule recently, conducting a subscale pre-burner hot-fire testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The AR1 rocket engine is described as being capable of producing an estimated 500,000 pounds-force (2.2 MN) of thrust at sea level and is equipped with an oxygen-rich staged combustion kerosene technology that should allow it to be used on an array of U.S. boosters.
"We are using a stair-step approach to eliminate the highest risk items first in our AR1 engine development program to ensure earliest possible delivery," Van Kleeck said. "By incorporating additive manufacturing and other new processes, materials and techniques into our plan, we offer the Nation a timely, cost-efficient path to end reliance on the Russian engines."
Aerojet Rocketdyne has been working to be at the forefront of the use of additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3-D printing. It is hoped this relatively new technology will help to drive down the cost of sending payloads to orbit.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100006.jpg)Jason Rhian (http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/author/jason-rhian/)
Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/space-centers/stennis-space-center/nasa-signs-saa-with-aerojet-rocketdyne-to-use-stennis-test-stand-for-ar1-engine/





 

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Sel ected by NASA to Mature Development of 1-Newton GR-1 Thruster that Uses Green Propellant

SACRAMENTO, Calif., December 22, 2015 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD), has been selected for a public-private partnership with NASA to mature the design of the 1-Newton GR-1 monopropellant thruster, which uses a green propellant known as AF-M315E.
Once matured, the improved GR-1 thruster will enable the technology to transition fr om development to production for commercial and government customers, using a green propellant that provides a safer, more efficient and higher-performance alternative than traditional hydrazine propellants.
"We're very excited about this partnership and working with NASA to advance our technology for a 1-Newton GR-1 thruster that uses green propellant," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space & Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Without question, the matured design will enable private and public companies to use the propulsion system in a more affordable and efficient manner, and with safer propellants."
The 1-Newton GR-1 is a small rocket engine used for attitude, trajectory and orbit control of small and medium-sized satellites and spacecraft. Under the partnership, Aerojet Rocketdyne will deliver for development and validation testing a fully-integrated 1-Newton GR-1 thruster that uses AF-M315E propellant. In return, NASA will test the thruster at NASA Glenn Research Center; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will oversee test planning and ensure infusion of the green technology on future NASA missions.
Aerojet Rocketdyne was selected for this project under NASA's "Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Emerging Space Technology System Capabilities" solicitation, which seeks to develop space technologies that can enhance commercial space and benefit future NASA missions. According to NASA, these partnerships can accelerate the availability and reduce costs for the development and infusion of emerging space system capabilities. NASA provides technical expertise, test facilities, hardware and software to help mature the capabilities.

ЦитироватьEuropean Space Propulsion Completes Testing of Five-Kilowatt Hall Thruster with Thales Alenia Space Belgium Power Processing Unit

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec 23, 2015 – European Space Propulsion (ESP), a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD), successfully completed testing of a five-kilowatt Hall Thruster with a Power Processing Unit (PPU) supplied by Thales Alenia Space (TAS) Belgium. The test programme was successfully conducted in the UK, and marks the first time a flight-proven five-kilowatt class Hall Thruster has been tested with a European-manufactured PPU. The achievement of this test being completed in less time than allocated was a reflection on the robustness of the design and the understanding and expertise of the team.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/233425.png)
European Space Propulsion successfully completed testing of a five-kilowatt Hall Thruster with a Power Processing Unit supplied by Thales Alenia Space Belgium.
 
ESP, a UK-registered company located in Belfast focused on providing in-space chemical and electric propulsion products for the European space market, was awarded a contract valued at approximately €11 million from the European Space Agency (ESA) in March 2015 for the flight qualification of the five-kilowatt XR-5E Hall Thruster, under the ESA Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) initiative, with targeted application on telecommunication satellites.
ESP is in the process of transferring production capability of the industry-leading XR-5 thruster, the only flight-proven five-kilowatt Hall Effect Thruster, from parent company Aerojet Rocketdyne. ESP will develop the XR-5E, building upon the proven satellite integration experience and extensive flight heritage of the XR 5 product line. The programme includes establishment of a lower-cost electric propulsion design, manufacturing and testing capability that takes advantage of the strong Northern Ireland engineering and business environment. ESP is also developing a new Thermo-Throttle based Xenon Flow Controller (XFC) that will be combined with the Belfast-built thruster to provide a strong offering into the expanding European market. The completion of the PPU coupling test with the XR-5 is the first major milestone to be completed under the ARTES programme.
"By successfully completing this work for the ARTES programme, ESP has taken the first major step toward the overall objective of providing a proven and cost-effective five-kilowatt Hall Thruster system for the European market," said Paul Sinton, managing director of European Space Propulsion. "ESP pulled together a team that involves experts from Aerojet Rocketdyne, TAS Belgium and Mars-Space to bring this test to a rapid and successful conclusion at the QinetiQ facility in the UK. The thruster and PPU performed as expected across all test points."
ESP's parent company, Aerojet Rocketdyne, has delivered 16 flight XR 5 Hall Thrusters to date, of which 12 have flown on three Geosynchronous (GEO) Comsat missions. The XR 5 is the highest-power, highest-efficiency Hall Thruster ever flown, and is the only thruster that has successfully demonstrated full electric propulsion orbit raising of a GEO Comsat from Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) to GEO. To date, 64 XR 5 Hall Thrusters covering three different GEO Comsat platforms have been ordered. Additionally, Aerojet Rocketdyne has now developed and flown a second-generation version of the XR-5 thruster, designated the XR-5A, which is the design being transferred to ESP.

ЦитироватьU.S. Air Force Awards More Rocket Research Contracts
by Mike Gruss (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-gruss/) — December 28, 2015

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force awarded another round of research contracts Dec. 23 as part of a broader effort to end U.S. reliance on a Russian rocket engine for launching national security missions, according to posts on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
The three rocket technology research contracts are the largest the service has made to date. The recipients are: $3.1 million for Orbital ATK of Dulles, Virginia; $6 million for propulsion provider Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California; and $5.4 million for Northrop Grumman of El Segundo, California.
The Dec. 23 postings did not include any details. The Air Force previously has indicated that initial research efforts would focus on reducing the cost of propulsion components and subsystems through the use of new materials and additive manufacturing.
The Air Force has said it plans to award a total of six to eight contracts, each ranging between $500,000 and $8 million in value, and with a combined value of as much as $35 million, for the effort. To date, the service has awarded seven contracts worth about $17 million.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is developing the kerosene-fueled AR1 engine to replace the Russian-built RD-180 rocket engine that powers United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 rocket, a national security workhorse. The company also builds the hydrogen-fueled RS-68 main engine for ULA's Delta 4 rocket as well as the RL-10 upper-stage engine, different variants of which are used on the Atlas 5 and Delta 4.
Orbital ATK makes rockets and provides composite structures, nozzles, propellant tanks and booster separation motors for ULA. The company has long provided solid-rocket boosters for the Delta 4.
Northrop Grumman has a long legacy of ICBM work and in recent years has also co-designed an experimental rocketplane with Virgin Galactic for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185455.jpg) Mike Gruss ‏@Gruss_SN  (https://twitter.com/Gruss_SN)
Drake: AJR will meet with ULA's Tory Bruno in Feb. to discuss AR1 engine. Downselect expected 4q 2016. Critical design review by end of 16.
  10:19 - 12 янв. 2016 г.  

Цитировать http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-awarded-contract-mature-development-high-powered-nested-hall-thruster
 http://ir.aerojetrocketdyne.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=954838

Aerojet Rocketdyne Awarded Contract to Mature High-Powered Nested Hall Thruster

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 15, 2016 (Aerojet Rocketdyne PR) — Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), has been awarded a contract valued at more than $2.5 million from NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Division to develop and demonstrate a high-power electric propulsion system. Once fully developed, the technology will help reduce trip times and the cost of human spaceflight to cislunar space and beyond to Mars.
Under the contract, the Aerojet Rocketdyne team will complete the development of a 100-kilowatt Hall Thruster System, including a 250-kilowatt thruster that uses Aerojet Rocketdyne's patented multi-channel Nested Hall Thruster technology; critical elements of a 100-kilowatt modular Power Processing Unit (PPU); and elements of the modular xenon feed system. PPUs convert the electrical power generated by a spacecraft's solar arrays into the power needed for the Hall Thruster. The contract includes system integration testing, and will culminate with a 100-hour test of the 100-kilowatt system at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Спойлер

"We look forward to working with our teammates in the development of this high-power, high-efficiency propulsion technology," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space and Launch Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Our advanced Nested Hall Thruster system will help transform the future of human spaceflight, allowing cost-effective delivery of large cargo to support human missions to Mars, and potentially transport astronauts to their destination faster, more efficiently and at a more cost-effective price."
Aerojet Rocketdyne is also working with the University of Michigan, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Silicon Turnkey Solutions. The contract spans 12 months, with two more 12-month options worth an additional $4 million total.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is one of 12 industry teams that were named by NASA to help build space and human exploration capabilities for deep space destinations as part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) initiative. The industry teams were selected for their technical ability to mature key technologies and their commitment to the potential applications, both for government and private sector uses, according to NASA. As part of its commitment to a public-private partnership with NASA, the Aerojet Rocketdyne team has invested almost $12 million in the technology to be developed.
Current electric propulsion systems operate at 5 kilowatts or below, and there are plans for near-term spacecraft using between 20 to 50 kilowatts, such as NASA's Asteroid Re-direct Mission. Much higher powers, such as the scalable 100-kilowatt systems being developed on this program, are required for transportation of the large payloads envisioned for sustained human missions to Mars.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

[свернуть]

Цитировать http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/about/news/stories/2016/february/michigan-design-selected
Michigan design sel ected for NASA's NextSTEP toward a crewed Mars mission
2/15/2016
 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/61240)
The spacecraft engine that will help take humans to Mars may be based on a University of Michigan prototype.
NASA gave this dream new credibility by funding a spaceflight propulsion system to be built around a tabletop-sized thruster developed by Prof. Alec Gallimore, the Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor of Engineering and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the U-M Department of Aerospace Engineering.
The agency sel ected the thruster as part of its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships, or NextSTEP program. NextSTEP encompasses a set of projects aimed at improving small satellites, propulsion and human living quarters in space. These are milestones toward sending humans into orbit between the Earth and the moon in the 2020s and to Mars the following decade.
NASA awarded $6.5 million over the next three years to Aerojet Rocketdyne for the development of the propulsion system, dubbed the XR-100. Gallimore's thruster, the X3, is central to this system, and his team at U-M will receive $1 million of the award for work on the thruster. Aerojet Rocketdyne announced the grant today.

Спойлер

The XR-100 is up against two competing designs. All three of them rely on ejecting plasma – an energetic state of matter in which electrons and charged atoms called ions coexist – out the back of the thruster.
But the X3 has a bit of a head start. For thrusters of its design power, 200 kilowatts, it is relatively small and light. And the core technology – the Hall thruster – is already in use for maneuvering satellites in orbit around the Earth.
"For comparison, the most powerful Hall thruster in orbit right now is 4.5 kilowatts," said Gallimore. That's enough to adjust the orbit or orientation of a satellite, but it's too little power to move the massive amounts of cargo needed to support human exploration of deep space.
A Hall thruster works by accelerating the plasma exhaust to extremely high speeds. The process starts with a current of electrons spiraling through a circular channel. On their whirlwind journey fr om the negative electrode at the exhaust end to the positively charged electrode on the inner side of the channel, they run into atoms (typically xenon gas) that are fed into the chamber. The collisions knock electrons off the xenon atoms and turn the xenon into positively charged ions.
 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/61241)
The electrons' spiraling motion also builds a powerful electric field that pulls the gas ions out the exhaust end of the channel. Just enough electrons leave with the ions to keep the spacecraft from accumulating a charge, which could otherwise cause electrical problems.
"When they're ionized, the xenon atoms can shoot out at up to 30,000 meters per second, which is about 65,000 mph," said Gallimore.
The X3 contains three of these channels, each a few centimeters deep, nested around one another in concentric rings. The nesting is what allows the Hall thruster to operate at 200 kilowatts of power in a relatively small footprint.
Aerojet Rocketdyne will be building two major components around the X3. The full-fledged propulsion system will need a power processing unit to deliver electricity fr om a spacecraft's solar arrays to the thruster, and a system for feeding xenon gas fr om high-pressure tanks into the channels wh ere the action happens.
Scott Hall, a doctoral student in Professor Gallimore's lab, will use the funding to put the X3 through a battery of tests, running it up to 60 kilowatts in the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Lab at U-M and then up to 200 kilowatts at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio
Meanwhile, another doctoral student, Sarah Cusson, will investigate a tweak that could allow the X3 to remain operational for five to ten times longer than its current lifetime of a little over a year.
"If we do our jobs over the next three years, we can deliver both projects," said Gallimore. "If I had to predict, I would say this thruster would be the basis for sending humans to Mars."

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne, ULA win Air Force propulsion contracts
by Mike Gruss (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-gruss/) — February 29, 2016
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155484.jpg)
ULA ultimately plans to replace the Atlas 5 with the Vulcan, but envisions at least a couple of years of overlapping operations between the two vehicles. Credit: ULA  
 
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Air Force will invest up to $536 million in Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 rocket engine and as much as $202 million in United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan rocket as a way to end dependence on the Russian rocket engine used to launch most U.S. national security payloads, according to a  Feb. 29 announcement from the Pentagon.
Aerojet Rocketdyne will use the money to help develop its AR1 engine. ULA will use the money to develop a prototype of its Vulcan launch vehicle with the BE-4 engine and to work on its next-generation upper stage engine known as the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage, or ACES.
The contracts are among the Air Force's top space acquisition priorities for 2016.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is developing an engine dubbed the AR1 that, like the Russian RD-180 that powers ULA's Atlas 5 rocket, is fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene. The Air Force awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $115 million contract on Feb. 29 to develop the engine for ULA's Vulcan rocket, but said with all options the potential government investment could reach $536 million. Aerojet Rocketdyne could contribute as much as $268 million to the program.
"AR1 will return the United States to the forefront of kerosene rocket propulsion technology," Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne's chief executive officer, said in a press release. "We are incorporating the latest advances in modern manufacturing, while capitalizing on our rich knowledge of rocket engines to produce a new, state-of-the-art engine that will end our reliance on a foreign supplier to launch our nation's national security assets."
Aerojet executives say they plan to test the first AR1 development engine in 2017, followed by additional testing in 2018 and to provide a certified engine in 2019.
However, ULA announced in September 2014 that its first choice for a new engine for its Vulcan rocket is the BE-4, a liquid-natural-gas fueled engine that cannot be used on the Atlas 5 as currently designed. Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, is developing that engine using its own funds.
The Air Force also awarded ULA a $46 million contract on Feb. 29 to develop the upper stage engine and a prototype of the Vulcan rocket using the BE-4. With all options the potential government investment could reach $202 million. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, could contribute as much as $134 million.
ULA has said the Vulcan could be certified for national security launches around 2022 and that the ACES upper stage engine could fly as early as 2023. Last year, ULA officials said an ACES-equipped Vulcan, augmented by strap-on boosters, would have 30 percent more lift capacity than the Delta 4 Heavy, currently the largest vehicle in the U.S. fleet.
ULA has a contract with Aerojet to retain the AR1 as a backup in case the BE-4 effort falters. ULA is expected to choose which engine it will develop for Vulcan late this year.

Спойлер

When the Air Force solicited proposals in June, it said it intended to award a total of $160 million to fund work on both main- and upper-stage rocket engines. Industry would be required to cover at least one-third of the costs of their proposed development efforts, but the actual size of the government investment would vary from proposal to proposal.
On Jan. 13 the service announced the first of the awards and said it would invest at least $46.9 million and perhaps as much as $180 million, to develop three technologies for a new rocket from Orbital ATK.   In addition, SpaceX received at least $33.6 million, and perhaps as much as $61 million, to continue development of its reusable methane-fueled Raptor engine.
In light of the Crimean crisis of 2014, Congress has directed the Defense Department to develop a domestic propulsion systems that would enable the Air Force by 2019 to end its reliance on RD-180.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьПентагон назвал фирмы, которые разработают замену российским РД-180
03:0701.03.2016(resource://skype_ff_extension-at-jetpack/skype_ff_extension/data/call_skype_logo.png)0701.03.2016 (обновлено: 10:19 01.03.2016)

Пентагон планирует, что до конца 2019 года двигатели, которыми заменят российские РД-180, должны быть переданы в ВВС США и использоваться в космических запусках.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/101661.jpg)
© AP Photo/ Globe Newswire

ВАШИНГТОН, 1 мар – РИА Новости. Компании United Launch Services (ULA) и Aerojet Rocketdyne получили контракты Минобороны США стоимостью 46,6 миллиона долларов и 115,3 миллиона долларов соответственно на создание до конца 2019 года ракетных двигателей взамен российских РД-180, сообщил Пентагон (http://ria.ru/tags/organization_Ministerstvo_oborony_SSHA/) во вторник.
 
Компания Aerojet Rocketdyne должна, по условиям контракта, разработать прототип двигателя AR1. На проект выделяется 115,313 миллиона долларов. Контракт предусматривает возможность его расширения до 536 миллионов долларов.
Контракт с ULA первоначальной стоимостью 46,6 миллиона долларов предусматривает разработку ракетного двигателя Vulcan BE-4 и ракетной силовой установки Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES). Контракт впоследствии может быть расширен до 201,6 миллиона долларов.

В обоих случаях двигатели, которые будут использоваться для нужд космических запусков в целях обеспечения безопасности США, должны быть переданы заказчику, которым выступают ВВС США, не позднее 31 декабря 2019 года.
Конгресс США на фоне разногласий с Россией запретил в 2014 году закупки РД-180 (http://ria.ru/tags/product_RD-180/). Однако эти закупки вновь были разрешены в бюджетном законе в декабре 2015 года. Ранее сообщалось, что Пентагон планирует представить частные разработки на замену российским двигателям до 2019 года.

РИА Новости http://ria.ru/world/20160301/1382233367.html#ixzz41dSRtVUj

Цитироватьsilentpom пишет:
удивительно, что aerojet дали

ЦитироватьAerojet gets a big boost in race to develop rocket engine
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/100209.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne conducts hot-fire testing of a multi-element preburner injector for the AR1 rocket engine.
 (Mike Labbe / Aerojet Rocketdyne)
Los Angeles Times
 
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209669.jpg)

Aerojet Rocketdyne has won a slot in the race to develop a U.S.-built engine to blast government spy satellites into space.
The Sacramento manufacturer has formed a partnership with the Air Force and a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. (http://www.latimes.com/topic/business/manufacturing-engineering/aerospace-manufacturing/lockheed-martin-corp.-ORCRP009161-topic.html) to create a replacement for the Russian engine used to propel many government satellites into orbit.
The partnership gives Aerojet a much-needed boost as it competes with Amazon.com (http://www.latimes.com/topic/business/amazon.com-inc.-ORCRP000672-topic.html) founder Jeff Bezos (http://www.latimes.com/topic/business/consumer-goods-industries/jeff-bezos-PEBSL000379-topic.html)' Blue Origin to develop an American engine for United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket.
"I think they've been given a fresh breath of life with this decision," said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at the Teal Group, an aerospace and defense research group.
The partnership will fund the continued development of Aerojet's AR1 engine, which is fueled with liquid oxygen and kerosene. The booster engine is slated for completion in 2019.
Under the agreement, the Air Force will invest two-thirds of the money needed to complete development. Initially, the Air Force will contribute $115.3 million, and Aerojet and ULA will supply $57.7 million.
The total potential investment fr om the government is $536 million. Aerojet and its partners' potential investment is $268 million, for a total agreement value of $804 million.
"This is big," Aerojet Chief Executive Eileen Drake said in an interview. "We're very, very pleased that the Air Force and the United Launch Alliance recognize our progress and our company's investment and commitment."
Aerojet's business is split evenly with 50% in defense and 50% in space. Drake said both businesses are "very, very strong" and that its contract backlog as of November 2015 was $4.1 billion — the highest number in corporate history.
The partnership comes as Aerojet faces major challenges to its space launch business, said Loren Thompson, aerospace analyst at the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Va., think tank.
ULA had been working primarily with Bezos' Blue Origin to develop an American engine for the Vulcan rocket.
The BE-4, a liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas rocket engine, has been funded by Blue Origin with investment from ULA.
On Monday, ULA and Blue Origin announced a partnership with the Air Force to develop the BE-4 engine and ULA's Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage rocket propulsion system, which is an upper-stage engine for the Vulcan rocket.
 
ULA Chief Executive Tory Bruno said his company is continuing to work with Blue Origin and Aerojet to pursue two options for the next-generation American engine.
If ULA went with Blue Origin for its liquid engines and used another rocket engine provider for its solid fuel engines, the move "could significantly diminish Aerojet's business mix," Thompson said.
"This partnership will greatly bolster Aerojet's prospects for remaining in the launch business as a robust competitor," he said of Aerojet and ULA's partnership with the Air Force.
Aerojet's AR1 engine is intended to replace the Russian-built RD-180, which powers ULA's Atlas V rocket. Aerojet said the AR1 engine can also be used for ULA's Vulcan rocket, which will be powered by an American engine and launch for the first time in 2019.
Congress has put limitations on the use of Russian rocket engines to blast government satellites into orbit, and imposed a deadline of 2019 for the development of an American-made rocket engine.
Analysts say the competition between Blue Origin and Aerojet could come down to cost versus reliability.
"There is more of a potential payoff with a Blue Origin engine, but there's also more of a risk because it's new technology," Caceres said. "There's less of a risk with Aerojet, but it might be more expensive."
Drake didn't specify whether the new partnership would add jobs at Aerojet's Canoga Park or Sacramento operations, wh ere most of the AR1 design and engineering work is done, but she said the award would benefit the state's industrial base.
"We are a major company headquartered in California, so it's great for our future, as well as any suppliers that we might have in the California area," she said. Aerojet employs about 4,800 people nationwide, with 1,100 in Canoga Park.
California was once a hub for conventional airplane manufacturing, but most of the state's aerospace industry growth now comes from drone development and space-related technologies. In Southern California, the industry has pivoted toward guided missile and space vehicle development, according to a report released Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
In 2014, Southern California employees in the missile and space vehicle parts sector totaled 35.9% of the region's aerospace industry workforce, compared with 6.6% in 2004. Southern California companies make up 20% of the nation's employment in this area, according to the report.
"We're always going to have aircraft and aircraft parts, which we are very strong in, but the growth of the industry is going into space," said Christine Cooper, senior vice president of the LAEDC and lead author of the aerospace industry report.
The total number of direct jobs in the Southern California aerospace industry in 2014 was 85,500, a 1.4% decline from the 86,700 jobs in 2013, Cooper said. These tallies do not include public employees, such as those who work for NASA (http://www.latimes.com/topic/science/space/nasa-ORGOV000098-topic.html) or NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If they did, the total number of aerospace workers in the region would be more than 100,000.
Total industry employment in the region has declined continuously since 2006 at an average rate of 1.8% a year, according to the report. Some traditional industries, such as aircraft instrument manufacturing, are also being farmed out to other sectors outside of aerospace, she said.
samantha.masunaga@latimes.com (mailto:samantha.masunaga@latimes.com)

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
AR1 _предназначен_ (Аэроджетом) для Атласа. Захотят ли владельцы Атласа его ставить ещё большой вопрос.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Это Ваши домыслы. А вот на Антарес втулить могут.

Цитировать Air Force will invest two-thirds of the money needed to complete development

ЦитироватьAir Force could fund Aerojet Rocketdyne engine even if ULA doesn't use it

by Mike Gruss (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-gruss/) — March 2, 2016
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155571.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne said it has had discussions with at least two other launch providers, in addition to United Launch Alliance, to use the new AR1 engine it is developing. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne


WASHINGTON – Aerojet Rocketdyne has held discussions with at least two unnamed launch providers, in addition to United Launch Alliance, who have an interest in using the AR1  rocket engine the company is developing, Aerojet's president said March 1.
The U.S. Air Force announced Feb. 29 it was investing $115 million this year, and with options, as much as $536 million over the next five years, in AR1, a new liquid oxygen- and kerosene-fueled  main-stage engine. The contract award is part of an Air Force initiative to end reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas 5 workhorse rocket.
The Air Force said in a Feb. 29 announcement that its AR1  investment is being made with the intent that it would power ULA's next-generation rocket, known as Vulcan.
But ULA executives have said their top choice for an engine is Blue Origin's BE-4, and that they are continuing to work with Aerojet Rocketdyne on the AR1 as a backup plan.
Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne's chief executive, said in March 1 interview with SpaceNews that the Air Force could continue to fund work on the AR1 even if ULA chooses to move forward with the BE-4.
"Each year is a different discussion," she said of the contract's options. "The ULA downselect is not a condition" of continued funding.
ULA is expected to make a decision between the two engines later this year, but has said Blue Origin is the frontrunner.
Aerojet Rocketdyne declined to disclose further information on the other launch companies they had discussed the new engine with, including whether they are based in the United States.
"This engine will be available for use on the Atlas 5, Vulcan and other launch vehicles currently in development," Drake said.
Aerojet Rocketdyne executives say they plan to test the first AR1 development engine in 2017, followed by additional testing in 2018 and to provide a certified engine in 2019.
For the upcoming year, Aerojet Rocketdyne will use the Air Force funding to work toward a critical design review in the fourth quarter of 2016 and toward the purchase of some long-lead items, Drake said.
After Aerojet Rocketdyne found itself in a competition with Blue Origin to develop a new engine in late 2014, the company increased its internal investment on AR1. For fiscal year 2015, Aerojet Rocketdyne spent nearly $48 million on the program, Drake said. She expects the company to spend a similar amount this year.
The Pentagon's Feb. 29 release said Aerojet Rocketdyne's total investment could reach about $268 million.
Drake said "a small portion" of the $115 million Air Force investment will go toward previously completed work on the engine.

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Какой AR1 на метановом "Вулкане" ?

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
И опять таки, какой Орбитал после покупки РД-181?

ЦитироватьThe U.S. Air Force announced Feb. 29 it was investing $115 million this year, and with options, as much as $536 million over the next five years, in AR1, a new liquid oxygen- and kerosene-fueled main-stage engine. The contract award is part of an Air Force initiative to end reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas 5 workhorse rocket.

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Не-е ...
Читаем же:

ЦитироватьThe U.S. Air Force announced Feb. 29 it was investing $115 million this year, and with options, as much as $536 million over the next five years, in AR1, a new liquid oxygen- and kerosene-fueled main-stage engine. The contract award is part of an Air Force initiative to end reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas 5 workhorse rocket.

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:

И опять таки, какой Орбитал после покупки РД-181?

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Не-е ...
Читаем же:

ЦитироватьThe U.S. Air Force announced Feb. 29 it was investing $115 million this year, and with options, as much as $536 million over the next five years, in AR1, a new liquid oxygen- and kerosene-fueled main-stage engine. The contract award is part of an Air Force initiative to end reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 engine that powers ULA's Atlas 5 workhorse rocket.

ЦитироватьИскандер пишет:
Кроме того, как только появится AR-1 для Атласа, тему российских двигателей закроют в т.ч. и для Орбитал.

ЦитироватьWASHINGTON – Aerojet Rocketdyne has held discussions with at least two unnamed launch providers, in addition to United Launch Alliance, who have an interest in using the AR1  rocket engine the company is developing, Aerojet's president said March 1.

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
- возможно не закроют, а просто "уговорят" с помощью того же Aerojet:

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Первый кандидат понятно Орбитал. Второй какой-нибудь Дайнетикс для жидкосного бустера SLS?

ЦитироватьImmediately after the Air Force announcement, Aerojet Rocketdyne released a statement confirming a partnership similar to ULA and Blue Origin. Aerojet Rocketdyne has with Dynetics, a Huntsville Alabama-based engineering firm, to complete development of the AR1.

"We are proud to be able to use Dynetics proven hardware fabrication capabilities and engineering expertise to join Aerojet Rocketdyne in this important endeavor", said Steve Cook, vice president for Corporate Development at Dynetics. "Our large-scale manufacturing capabilities and extensive aerospace systems expertise, combined with Aerojet Rocketdyne's leading rocket engine technology, offer a fast and low risk way to end U.S. reliance on Russian space launch propulsion systems."

Under the agreement, Aerojet and Dynetics will increase their cooperation on the development of the AR1. The two companies have been working on some components of the engine design for the last 18 months. Under the agreement, Dynetics will provide support in three key areas including the AR1 engine's main propulsion system, the ignition system and ground support equipment. Dynetics will also provide analysis support to Aerojet Rocketdyne.

"The AR1 engine is the right catalyst for moving our nation away from Russian reliance and returning America's preeminence as a propulsion leader," said Jim Simpson, senior vice president of Strategy and Business Development at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Our collaboration with Dynetics in developing key AR1 components is an essential element to having a certified engine in 2019."

The two firms have been working together to develop and test 3D printing or additive manufacturing for key components of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). That component will be used in the one million pound thrust booster as part of the Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and/or Risk Reduction (ABEDRR) contract.

Both teams have invested heavily into their engine designs. Despite financing from the Air Force, both teams will have to pay a combined $268 million. The U.S. Air Force intends to initially obligate $115.3 million. The total potential government investment, including all options, is $536 million.

ЦитироватьULA intends to lower its costs, and raise its cool, to compete with SpaceX
by Peter B. de Selding (http://spacenews.com/author/peter-b-de-selding/) — March 16, 2016
...
ULA is now working with Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; and Aerojet Rocketdyne of Rancho Cordova, California, on RD-180 replacements.
Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine uses liquid oxygen and kerosene. Blue Origin's BE-4 uses liquid oxygen and methane.
Tobey said Bezos has invested $500 million of his own money in Blue Origin and, as demonstrated during the explosion of a Blue Origin engine on a test stand, is willing to "open his checkbook" to pursue what for Bezos is more a passion than a quest for business profit.
Compared to Bezos, Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 is working off a relatively small government budget, Tobey said. He did not reference a recent U.S. Defense Department announcement that substantially more funds would be arriving to develop the AR1.
Comparing the two engine developments – Aerojet Rocketdyne pursuing the classic government funding route, while Blue Origin has a billionaire owner who can act lightning-fast – the two companies' situations do not favor Aerojet Rocketdyne.
"Compare it to having two fiancées, two possible brides," Tobey said of ULA's approach to the two. "Blue Origin is a super-rich girl, and then there is this poor girl over here, Aerojet Rocketdyne. But we have to continue to go to planned rehearsal dinners, buy cakes and all the rest with both.
"We're doing all the work on both, and the chance of Aerojet Rocketdyne beating the billionaire is pretty low. Basically we're putting a whole lot more energy into BE-4 for Blue Origin."
Using methane would be new for the U.S. space sector, imposing risks, but Tobey said the BE-4 engine is only 60 percent of the cost of the AR1, a clear advantage in today's cost-driven market.
Of both engines, he said: "They are never going to outperform the RD-180."

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne pitches AR1 as the only direct replacement for RD-180
by Brian Berger (http://spacenews.com/author/brian-berger/) — April 12, 2016
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155619.jpg)Aerojet Rocketdyne's Julie Van Kleeck doing a television interview following an April 12 media roundtable at the 32nd Space Symposium. Credit: SpaceNews/Brian Berger  
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Aerojet Rocketdyne's Julie Van Kleeck pitched the AR1 rocket engine to a roomful of reporters Tuesday morning as the only direct replacement for the reliable but politically polarizing Russian engine that powers the Atlas 5 rocket.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a contract in February worth up to $534 million over five years to certify and start delivering flight-ready AR1 engines in 2019. Aerojet Rocketdyne says it already has kicked in $70 million, with its total investment expected to exceed $250 million over the life of the contract.
Van Kleeck, vice president of Aerojet Rocketdyne's advanced space and launch business unit, said the Air Force contract — the largest of several propulsion-related awards the service has made in recent months — is a sign of the Air Force's confidence in the AR1's ability to provide an expedient replacement for the RD-180 engine the Defense Department is under pressure from Congress to stop using.
United Launch Alliance, however, has anointed Blue Origin's methane-fueled BE-4 engine as the front runner to replace the RD-180 by serving as the main engine for the Denver company's next-generation rocket Vulcan.
"The AR1 engine can fly both on an Atlas and Vulcan and it's the only engine that can do so," Van Kleeck said.
While ULA continues to work with Aerojet Rocketdyne on the AR1, ULA executives have said the BE-4, whose development is being bankrolled by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, is several years closer to flight readiness.
Van Kleeck challenged that assertion.
"When you introduce new propellants such as methane to the solution you not only have to have a totally different vehicle architecture but you also have to make costly changes to ground infrastructure and operations and in the end you have no more capability than you had with Atlas and have substantially increased cost and decreased reliability," she said.
ULA has said it expects to make a decision on Vulcan's engine sometime around the end of the year. If ULA chooses BE-4 over AR1, will Aerojet Rocketdyne continue to fund the engine's development?
"We believe the AR1 is going to fly," Van Kleeck said.
On Atlas 5, Vulcan or something else?
"We believe the AR1 is going to fly," Van Kleeck repeated.

ЦитироватьApril 19, 2016
 RELEASE 16-044  
 
 NASA Works to Improve Solar Electric Propulsion for Deep Space Exploration  
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/231517.png) (http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/sep_contract_award_pr_image_screen_shot_2014-12-12_at_3_11_53_pm.png)
Advanced solar electric propulsion will be needed for future human expeditions into deep space, including to Mars. Shown here is a 13-kilowatt Hall thruster being evaluated at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Hall thrusters trap electrons in a magnetic field and use them to ionize the onboard propellant. It uses 10 times less propellant than equivalent chemical rockets.
Credits: NASA
 
NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc. of Redmond, Washington, to design and develop an advanced electric propulsion system that will significantly advance the nation's commercial space capabilities, and enable deep space exploration missions, including the robotic portion of NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) and its Journey to Mars (http://www.nasa.gov/journeytomars).
The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) contract is a 36-month cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a performance incentive and total value of $67 million. Work performed under the contract could potentially increase spaceflight transportation fuel efficiency by 10 times over current chemical propulsion technology and more than double thrust capability compared to current electric propulsion systems.
"Through this contract, NASA will be developing advanced electric propulsion elements for initial spaceflight applications, which will pave the way for an advanced solar electric propulsion demonstration mission by the end of the decade," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington. "Development of this technology will advance our future in-space transportation capability for a variety of NASA deep space human and robotic exploration missions, as well as private commercial space missions."
Aerojet Rocketdyne will oversee the development and delivery of an integrated electric propulsion system consisting of a thruster, power processing unit (PPU), low-pressure xenon flow controller, and electrical harness. NASA has developed and tested a prototype thruster and PPU that the company can use as a reference design.
The company will construct, test and deliver an engineering development unit for testing and evaluation in preparation for producing the follow-on flight units. During the option period of the contract, if exercised, the company will develop, verify and deliver four integrated flight units – the electric propulsion units that will fly in space. The work being performed under this contract will be led by a team of NASA Glenn Research Center engineers, with additional technical support by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) engineers.
This work will directly complement recent advanced solar array systems work, also funded by STMD. NASA anticipates the electrical power to operate this advanced electric propulsion flight system in space will be generated by solar arrays using structures similar to those that were developed under the solar array systems contracts.
NASA has been refining development of spaceflight electric propulsion technology for more than five decades, the first successful ion electric propulsion thruster being developed at Glenn in the 1950s. The first operational test of an electric propulsion system in space was Glenn's Space Electric Rocket Test 1, which flew on July 20, 1964.
Since then, NASA has increasingly relied on solar electric propulsion for long-duration, deep-space robotic science and exploration missions to multiple destinations, the most recent being NASA's Dawn (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/main/index.html) mission. The Dawn mission, managed by JPL, surveyed the giant asteroid Vesta and the protoplanet, Ceres, between 2011 and 2015.
The advanced electric propulsion system is the next step in NASA's Solar Electric Propulsion (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/sep/index.html) (SEP) project, which is developing critical technologies to extend the range and capabilities of ambitious new science and exploration missions. ARM, NASA's mission to capture an asteroid boulder and place it in orbit around the moon in the mid-2020s, will test the largest and most advanced SEP system ever utilized for space missions.
For more information about NASA technology, visit:
 

http://www.nasa.gov/technology (http://www.nasa.gov/technology)

ЦитироватьDraft House bill would scramble Air Force's rocket engine plan

by Mike Gruss (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-gruss/) — April 25, 2016

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155441.jpg)
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (above) and Rep. Mike Rogers , the chairman of the strategic forces subcommittee, have traded a series of letters with Air Force leaders this year explaining their preference for a so-called engine-only approach to end reliance on the RD-180. Credit: House Republican Conference


WASHINGTON – The House Armed Services Committee is set to take up an authorization bill this week that would insist the Pentagon invest in a new main stage engine  — not an upper stage engine, strap-on motors or launch vehicles as the Air Force has planned — as the cornerstone of its effort to wean itself from the Russian RD-180 rocket engine.
The proposed restrictions essentially would forbid the Air Force from funding several recently announced co-investment deals with Orbital ATK, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance beyond this year. The Air Force doled out $317 million worth of contracts to help fund Orbital ATK's development of  a new solid-fueled launcher,  SpaceX's  development a new upper-stage engine, and ULA's development of  Vulcan, a potentially reusable successor to the RD-180 powered Atlas 5 rocket.
The Air Force's only other partnership is with Aerojet Rocketdyne, which stands to receive up to $536 million to develop AR-1, a kerosene-fuled engine that the Sacramento, California-company is pitching as an RD-180 replacement that would also be suitable for Vulcan if ULA drops plans to use Blue Origin's methane-fueled BE-4 engine instead.
The proposed funding restrictions are part of the House Armed Services Committee's version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, which will be released April 25 ahead of a planned April 27 session to amend and vote on the bill.
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas.), the committee chairman, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chairman of the strategic forces subcommittee, have traded a series of letters with Air Force leaders this year explaining their preference for a so-called engine-only approach to end reliance on the RD-180.
The Air Force relies on the RD-180 engines ULA imports from Russia's NPO Energomash through Florida-based RD AMROSS to launch the lion's share of U.S. national security satellites. Following Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region, a chorus of U.S. lawmakers and senior Pentagon officials have been calling for ending use of the RD-180. But figuring out exactly how and when to make the transition away from an RD-180-powered Atlas 5 has been a repeated point of contention.

"The Committee shares the concern of many members that reliance on Russian-designed rocket engines is no longer acceptable," the committee said April 25. "The Chairman's Proposal, as recommended by Chairman Rogers of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, denies the Air Force's request to pursue the development, at taxpayer expense, of new commercial launch systems. It instead focuses on the development of a new American engine to replace the Russian RD-180 by 2019 to protect assured access to space and to end reliance on Russian engines. The Mark also holds the Air Force accountable for its awards of rocket propulsion contracts that violated the FY15 and FY16 NDAAs."

In its budget request for fiscal year 2017, the Air Force said it plans to spend $1.2 billion over the next five years, including $296 million in 2017, on what they described as a next-generation launch system. Their plan calls for investing in upgrades to existing rockets or investing in entirely new systems from domestic launch providers including SpaceX, Orbital ATK and ULA.
But Rogers has repeatedly said the Air Force's plan violates the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act by focusing on new launch systems instead of developing a domestic alternative to the RD-180.
"The funds would not be authorized to be obligated or expended to develop or procure a launch vehicle, an upper stage, a strap-on motor, or related infrastructure," says a draft of the 2017 defense authorization bill. Industry officials expect several launch-related amendments to come up when the full committee meets to markup the bill April 27,
The bill, as drafted, would leave Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine as the only piece of the Air Force's portfolio of rocket-propulsion partnerships that meets the new criteria. The proposed restrictions would also require any unobligated money from 2015 or 2016 follow the same guidelines.

ЦитироватьAR1 testing on E-1 Test Stand. Aerojet Rocketdyne signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA last year to test the preburner and main injector for its new AR1 rocket engine at Stennis. The company is scheduled to conduct a series of subscale tests on Cell 2 of the E-1 stand later this spring. Full-scale testing of the AR1 components is planned during the summer on Cell 1 of the E-1 stand. The AR1 is being developed as an American booster engine that could help end the U.S. dependence on foreign engines to launch payloads into space.

ЦитироватьAir Force demonstrates key rocket engine technologies for next generation launch systems

Posted 5/13/2016   Updated 5/16/2016 

from Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate

5/13/2016 - EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne (subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, NYSE: AJRD) achieved a major milestone under the Hydrocarbon Boost program, which is advancing domestic rocket engine technologies in support of next generation launch. The Hydrocarbon Boost (HCB) program completed full power, full duration tests of the oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) sub-scale preburner. Testing was conducted at the historic rocket Test Stand 2A at Edwards Air Force Base; the facility was first utilized to test the F-1 engine used to power Saturn V rockets in the Apollo program to reach the moon.

The sub-scale preburner test campaign accomplished the first demonstrations of several key rocket engine technologies, including the first use of Mondaloy 200 superalloy in a rocket engine environment and the first operation of a diluent type preburner. Demonstration of Mondaloy 200, which was co-developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne and the AFRL Materials Directorate, was a critical step to proving the unique combination of high-strength and burn resistance necessary for hardware survival in the harsh ORSC rocket environment.

"These tests are a significant milestone for our program, but also just the beginning of an effort to develop and transition the tools, components and knowledge needed for our customer and the U.S. rocket industry," said Dr. Shawn Phillips, chief of the AFRL Rocket Propulsion Division.

The U.S. has a limited technology base in the high-performance ORSC rocket engine cycle. The United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle is powered by Russian RD-180 rocket engines, which were developed based on decades of ORSC research and development in the former Soviet Union. Tensions with Russia spurred limits on future use of the RD-180 engines for national security launches and triggered increased U.S. government investment in ORSC technology for industry to use to provide future launch services for National Security Space launch needs.

A key goal of the Hydrocarbon Boost Technology Demonstrator is to mature the technology readiness of ORSC engine components to advance the U.S. rocket technology base. This is also a key goal of the Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation (BPTM) projects led by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

"The DOD is absolutely committed to transitioning off the RD-180 as quickly as possible, while ensuring no impacts to national security. Programs such as BPTM are essential to achieving that objective while solidifying U.S. assured access to space and supporting the U.S. launch industry's viability in the global market," said Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, SMC commander and Air Force program executive officer for Space.
 
Technology maturation and risk reduction efforts are part of a comprehensive Air Force plan to transition off of the RD-180 engine. One of the BPTM project areas is to advance technology readiness through critical rocket engine component design, integration, and test. To this end, SMC augmented HCB program funding to accelerate development of the HCB full-scale preburner and enable near-term U.S. demonstrations that are critical to overcome key ORSC challenges. These critical ORSC challenges include combustion instability, oxygen compatibility of materials in severe high pressure and temperature environments, and complex preburner startup and shutdown transients. The improved knowledge base, test results, and lessons learned in the HCB program and other BPTM activities are shared with the entire U.S. rocket propulsion community.

"An objective of this program is to help eliminate the United States' reliance on foreign rocket propulsion technology," commented Maj. Gen. Tom Masiello, AFRL commander. "This is key to ensuring our national security, and the people of the Rocket Propulsion Division are making impressive strides in achieving our goal."

The highly instrumented HCB sub-scale preburner tests generated critical data for design and development of the full-scale preburner. Design and fabrication of the full-scale ORSC Hydrocarbon Boost preburner is underway. Preburner component level testing will be conducted at NASA Stennis Space Center prior to Hydrocarbon Boost integrated engine testing at AFRL in the 2020 timeframe. Successful program completion will demonstrate national goals for the Rocket Propulsion for the 21st Century program, which is co-chaired by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and NASA.

ЦитироватьAR1 Testing Underway at NASA's Stennis Space Center

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 17, 2016 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD), achieved full-power during a critical preburner test series at NASA's Stennis Space Center earlier this month. The test series successfully verified key preburner injector design parameters for the company's AR1 engine that is being designed to end use of Russian engines for national security space launches.
"We remain laser focused on the delivery of an AR1 engine in 2019. We are convinced our AR1 engine is the fastest, lowest cost, lowest risk way for the United States to guarantee assured access to space, proof of which is our successful preburner test," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "The AR1 engine is the most advanced oxygen-rich, hydrocarbon engine in development in the United States."
Preburner testing is the latest AR1 program milestone achieved on the AR1 program and further demonstrates that the company has consistently met every milestone laid out in its plan since the program began in 2014. This testing is a continuation of earlier preburner testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Aerojet Rocketdyne's Sacramento, California location.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com/) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com/).  
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/233426.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne tests the AR1 subscale preburner at NASA's Stennis Space Center

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Supports Launch of National Security Payload into Orbit for U.S. Government with World's Most Powerful Hydrogen-Fueled Engines

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 11, 2016 – In a spectacular display of power, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc. (Aerojet Rocketdyne), a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD), successfully supported the launch of a national security payload into orbit for the U.S. government today using three of the world's most powerful hydrogen-fueled booster engines. The mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion included three RS-68A booster engines, an RL10B-2 upper-stage engine, multiple attitude control thrusters and 26 helium pressurization tanks.
"As a military veteran, I can personally attest to the importance of national security satellites for our nation's troops deployed at home and overseas," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "It's an honor and a privilege to know our company's propulsion is playing such a critical role in their safety and improved operations. Congratulations to everyone for another successful launch."
During launch, three RS-68A engines ignited to boost the Delta IV Heavy off the pad, each providing 702,000 pounds of lift-off thrust. The RS-68A is the world's most powerful liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen engine, and has now flown 32 commercial and government missions with 100 percent mission success.
After the upper stage separated from the launch vehicle, a single RL10B-2 ignited to provide 24,750 pounds of thrust to power the upper stage, using cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants during its operation. RL10B-2 is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine designed and developed from the RL10 family of upper-stage engines, which have accumulated one of the most impressive lists of accomplishments in the history of space propulsion. The RL10 has helped place numerous military, government and commercial satellites into orbit over the last 50 years, and has powered scientific space-probe missions to every planet in our solar system.
ARDÉ, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne based in New Jersey, provides the pressure vessels on the first and second stages of the launch vehicle.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (https://www.rocket.com) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (https://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com).

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Celebrates Key Apogee Thruster Milestones with Space Systems Loral

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), and Space Systems Loral (SSL), a leading provider of commercial satellites, recently celebrated three key centennial milestones for the companies. This past year, SSL launched its 100th satellite built on the SSL 1300 platform; Aerojet Rocketdyne delivered 100 bipropellant apogee thrusters for those 100 SSL 1300 satellites; and coincidently, the 100th SSL 1300 also used Aerojet Rocketdyne's 100th High-Performance Apogee Thruster (HiPAT™).

The SSL 1300 was originally introduced in the 1980s and at that time used the Aerojet Rocketdyne R-4D-11 bipropellant apogee thruster, which was specifically developed and qualified for the SSL 1300. SSL has continually evolved the 1300 platform over the years to provide higher power, increased payloads, longer life and greater flexibility. As part of this evolution in capability, the HiPAT™ was first introduced into the SSL 1300 platform in 2002. The HiPAT™ is used on four different GEO Comsat platforms, and provides the highest performance of any bipropellant apogee thruster in the world.

"On behalf of all the women and men here at Aerojet Rocketdyne who contributed over the years, I would like to express our joy to have this opportunity to celebrate this triple centennial event with SSL, and express our pride in our continued achievement of 100 percent mission success with our valued customer partners," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake.

"SSL and Aerojet Rocketdyne have had a very productive and successful relationship over the past 30 years, and Aerojet Rocketdyne's apogee engines have been an important contributor to the success of the SSL 1300 platform," said Paul Estey, executive vice president of SSL.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets.

ЦитироватьStarliner spacecraft engines successfully hot-fire tested
Tomasz Nowakowski
July 27th, 2016
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234662.jpg)
One of three Reaction Control System engines for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner recently completed hot-fire testing at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is one step closer to carrying astronauts to space from American soil as its engines have recently undergone a series of hot-fire development tests. The tests were carried out by Aerojet Rocketdyne (http://rocket.com/) at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico.
The three Reaction Control System (RCS) engines successfully hot-fired are part of the spacecraft's service module propulsion system, being currently developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The Sacramento, California-based rocket propulsion manufacturer announced on Monday, July 25 (http://rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-successfully-completes-hot-fire-tests-engines-designed-support-new-era), each RCS engine was tested up to 4,000 pulses and 1,600 seconds. According to the company, it was the longest accumulated time ever conducted on a lightweight thruster with a composite chamber.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234655.jpg)
Artist depiction of CST-100 Starliner in orbit above Earth. Image Credit: Boeing
 
"The successful RCS engine tests demonstrated durability and long operational life capabilities meeting the Starliner requirements for composite thrust chambers, which are crucial to mission success and astronaut safety," Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake said in a press release (http://rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-successfully-completes-hot-fire-tests-engines-designed-support-new-era). "We look forward to qualifying the engines and continuing our nation's legacy of delivering humans into space."
The RCS engines are designed to provide on-orbit maneuvering functions, as well as re-boost capabilities for the space station. Under its Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) subcontract to Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne is responsible for the design, development, qualification, certification and initial production of the Starliner's service module propulsion system, including the development and testing of 28 100-pound thrust class RCS engines.
The spacecraft's service module propulsion system will be necessary for Starliner's activities during a nominal flight to the International Space Station (ISS). It will provide all propulsion needs required for launch vehicle separation, docking and undocking from the ISS, as well as separation of the crew and service modules during the re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. The system will also provide integrated launch abort capability on the pad and during ascent.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne is leveraging adaptations of proven hardware and technologies to deliver an affordable reliable propulsion system that can be counted on to perform throughout the spacecraft's mission and ensure the safety of the astronauts and success of the mission," Terry Lorier, Aerojet Rocketdyne's CST-100 service module propulsion system program manager, said in November 2015 (http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-signs-contract-support-new-era-human-spaceflight-america).
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is 16.5 feet (5.03 meters) long and 15 feet (4.56 meters) in diameter. It can carry up to seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo to ISS. The spacecraft is designed to remain on-orbit for up to seven months with reusability of up to ten missions.
First uncrewed orbital test flight of the Starliner spacecraft is currently scheduled for December 2017. The capsule will carry its first two astronauts to ISS in February 2018.

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ЦитироватьQuestion about Centaur. What is this? (circled red) (https://i.redd.it/zb60nm7m2lkx.png) (i.redd.it (https://www.reddit.com/domain/i.redd.it/))
отправлено 9 часов назад автор Zorbane (https://www.reddit.com/user/Zorbane)
 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/65335)

za419 (https://www.reddit.com/user/za419)  8 часов назад 
According to this pdf (http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Published_Papers/Upper_Stages/TheCentaurUpperStageVehicleHistory.pdf), the RL-10 on the Centaur used for the Atlas V pre-chills the hydrogen turbopump by flushing it with liquid hydrogen and then dumping it overboard. Could that be it?

ethan829 (https://www.reddit.com/user/ethan829)  8 часов назад 
The RL10 is actually an expander cycle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expander_cycle) engine, so the turbopump exhaust is routed back into the combustion chamber.
That tube is part of the engine chilling system, as explained here. (https://www.reddit.com/r/ula/comments/3vl592/atlas_v_401_cygnus_oa4_launch_thread_take_four/cxpv5m5)

ЦитироватьRocketgi 9 месяцев назад
Lurker, but decided to create an account in order to answer your question. The tube you are seeing is part of a vent system. The RL-10 must be cooled down prior to startup so LH2 is ran through the engine then vented overboard. You can see prior to separation the apparatus is actually connected to more tubing to vent before separation. What you are seeing coming out after separation is just the remaining LH2 in the tube. Source: I've worked in the area that builds the system.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust)  13 ч13 часов назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/775873353664126976)  
Vigor Yang: NASA spent ~$30B in 2016 dollars developing F-1 and J-2 engines in 1960s. Today that would be "mission impossible." #AIAASpace (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIAASpace?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust)  5 ч.5 часов назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/776445171395391488)  
Julie Van Kleeck, Aerojet: "working some formative things" in nuclear thermal prop to be able to make decisions on them in '20s. #AIAASpace (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIAASpace?src=hash)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/29262.jpg) Jeff Foust ‏@jeff_foust  (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust)  3 ч.3 часа назад (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/778247741306613760)  
Joe Cassady, Aerojet Rocketdyne: we know how to do solar electric propulsion; just scaling it up for use on Mars missions.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834525817195655169)  
ARTICLE: RS-25 conducts test for SLS as team waits on new engine controllers - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/rs-25-test-sls-team-waits-new-controllers/ ... (https://t.co/nkxn2Tj1ZO) - by Philip Sloss
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157035.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157036.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157037.jpg)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157038.jpg)
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834521823643582468)  
RS-25 Static Fire complete!
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157033.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157034.jpg)
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834520747762659330)  
RS-25 creates its own rainbow....
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157032.jpg)
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834520207901212672)  
RS-25 FIRING!! (Good link, less facebook spam) https://www.facebook.com/NASASLS/videos/vb.161692063946619/1222554207860394/?type=3&theater ... (https://t.co/BEgJCqLoRm)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157029.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157030.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157031.jpg)
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834516655409618945)  
The RS-25 firing is NOT on NASA TV. #JourneyToMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/JourneyToMars?src=hash) relegated to a Facebook page a lot of you won't be able to access at work/school, etc. (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125501.png)
 
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) Chris B - NSF‏@NASASpaceflight  (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight)  22 февр. (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/834480282732527617)  
FEATURE ARTICLE: RS-25 test for SLS as team waits on new engine controllers - https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/02/rs-25-test-sls-team-waits-new-controllers/ ... (https://t.co/nkxn2Tj1ZO) - by Philip Sloss
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157023.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157024.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157025.jpg)  
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157026.jpg)

ЦитироватьLIFTOFF: Aerojet Rocketdyne creates 100 new jobs in Huntsville for new project   

[/li]
• written by Jordan LaPorta (http://yellowhammernews.com/author/jordan-laporta/)
• on January 31, 2017 at 4:26 pm CST
  

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/235786.jpg)
 
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — They call it the Rocket City for a reason. On Monday, production company Aerojet Rocketdyne announced its plan to build a new rocket engine in Huntsville, which will create 100 new jobs.  
The new engine, the ARI, will serve as a replacement to the Russian-made RD-180. A liquid rocket motor, the ARI is slated to be ready by 2019.
Not only will the project boost the local economy, but it will serve as the latest connection between the Yellowhammer State and the new Trump Administration.
"Our world-class workforce is very excited to rapidly bring the AR1 engine into production – it will support the Trump administration's efforts to make our military strong again," Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake told Al.com. "The AR1 rocket engine is crucial to ensuring America's assured access to space and making U.S. launch vehicles competitive across the globe."
Drake noted that Huntsville is the perfect location for the production of the ARI. "Given the top-tier talent at the University of Alabama in Huntsville's Propulsion Research Center, the exceptional level of rocket engine expertise at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and at our teammate, Dynetics, and in the local community, Huntsville is the logical choice to locate the new production work on the AR1 engine," she said.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle was ecstatic about Aerojet Rocketdyne's project and told Yellowhammer that it is merely the latest chapter in the city's long history of aerospace innovation. "With our rich history in the space program, Marshall Space Flight Center's role as NASA's propulsion hub, our smart workforce and active industry base in the R&D sector, Huntsville is ideally suited to manufacture this advanced rocket engine," said Mayor Tommy Battle. "We look forward to seeing production begin in the Rocket City."

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 Engine Sets U.S. Record
By GlobeNewswire,  February 22, 2017, 07:00:00 AM EDT
 
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss., Feb. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD (http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/ajrd)), recently demonstrated the highest chamber pressure of any United States produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system. This milestone occurred during a series of successful test firings of the AR1's staged combustion system at NASA's Stennis Space Center.
 (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/68916)
Staged-combustion testing at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for the AR1 program is being developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
Preparations for the staged-combustion testing began at Stennis last summer, pushing the limits of the nation's premier large engine development test facility. During this testing, Aerojet Rocketdyne combined the engine's preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector design parameters and performance.
"Staged-combustion testing is a critical step in proving our design for AR1 and reestablishing U.S. preeminence in hydrocarbon space launch propulsion," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "We have been working diligently on the AR1 program since 2014 and remain on target to deliver a flight-qualified AR1 engine in 2019 as promised. The latest testing validates our flight design and provides high confidence as we move further into AR1 engine manufacturing."
The AR1 engine is being developed as a replacement for Russian-made engines currently used on domestic rockets. AR1 is a 500,000 lbf thrust-class liquid oxygen/kerosene booster engine that incorporates the latest advances in rocket engine technology, materials science and modern manufacturing techniques to deliver an affordable, reliable booster engine quickly.
"AR1 is the lowest risk, lowest cost and fastest path to end U.S. reliance on Russian engines for the launch of America's national security and civil space missions," added Drake.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=0k_IYDKt7CTqLk5wQ750urb15L6Kt7IiPCJRBt2Wzmbk56KkcqS1aOKUogdzerYOcVf74cIOXRXZIWP1RLVUmA==) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=iGUyT4lyJ2Lle45pjircXUB7NE0-PkoDR32o7CuqJGeQRTp4QLpByEHzJqcnRBa6TLRoMH3xVGPh6CYyfKNu5o2luMQ97VjNTLxgpyxZJpU=).

ЦитироватьJanuary 31st, 2017
 Aerojet Rocketdyne Creates 100 New Jobs Continues Expansion in Huntsville, Alabama
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/234145.png)
Always good news to hear of new jobs available in the aerospace industry, and this time the hiring will be done by Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD)..."it will support the Trump administration's efforts to make our military strong again."

The company will produce America's newest advanced rocket engine, the AR1, in Huntsville, Alabama, resulting in the creation of 100 new jobs. AR1 is the latest engine in development by Aerojet Rocketdyne, America's premier large liquid rocket engine manufacturer.
"Our world-class workforce is very excited to rapidly bring the AR1 engine into production—it will support the Trump administration's efforts to make our military strong again," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "The AR1 rocket engine is crucial to ensuring America's assured access to space and making U.S. launch vehicles competitive across the globe."
The AR1 is being developed to provide the United States with a new, world-competitive, state-of-the-art engine for launch vehicles and will end American dependency on Russian engines for national security and civil space launches. The company is currently developing and testing AR1 engine systems and is on schedule to deliver a certified engine in 2019 to meet the congressionally-mandated deadline to end US dependence on foreign engine suppliers.
"Given the top-tier talent at the University of Alabama in Huntsville's Propulsion Research Center, the exceptional level of rocket engine expertise at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and at our teammate, Dynetics, and in the local community, Huntsville is the logical choice to locate the new production work on the AR1 engine," added Drake.
Aerojet Rocketdyne's latest Southeast expansion is the third such announcement within the last year. Recently, the company announced the establishment of its Defense Business Unit headquarters and the relocation of its Rocket Shopâ,,  Defense Advanced Programs division to the "Rocket City." Additionally, the company is expanding its presence at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to accommodate final assembly and hot fire testing of AR1 as well as assembly and hot fire testing of the RS-25 rocket engine that will power NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) beginning in 2018. The RS-25 is a highly reliable engine that produces more than 500,000 pounds of thrust and can be used to power single or multiple missions.
"AR1 capitalizes on proven technology, propellants and an engine cycle that are compatible with existing and future launch systems. In addition, the AR1 rocket engine incorporates the latest innovations, like advanced 3-D printing of rocket engine components, to answer the urgent needs of America's national security in a very affordable way," said Drake.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is the only company in the United States that has developed and produced large liquid-fueled rocket engines that have powered the launches of America's most critical missions, including every launch for the United States Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and every astronaut launched from US soil.
In addition to the RS-25 and AR1 rocket engines, Aerojet Rocketdyne's flight-proven RS-68 is America's most powerful liquid rocket engine currently in production, providing more than 700,000 pounds of thrust to launch national security missions on the Delta IV launch vehicle.
Additionally, the company's RL10 rocket engine has powered every upper stage on the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles—more than 100 consecutive successful launches. The RL10 has also been selected by NASA to power the SLS's new Exploration Upper Stage that will send a new generation of American space vehicles to explore deep space and "unlock the mysteries of space" as President Trump stated in his inaugural address.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 Engine Sets U.S. Record


STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss., Feb. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), recently demonstrated the highest chamber pressure of any United States produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system. This milestone occurred during a series of successful test firings of the AR1's staged combustion system at NASA's Stennis Space Center.

Preparations for the staged-combustion testing began at Stennis last summer, pushing the limits of the nation's premier large engine development test facility. During this testing, Aerojet Rocketdyne combined the engine's preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector design parameters and performance.
"Staged-combustion testing is a critical step in proving our design for AR1 and reestablishing U.S. preeminence in hydrocarbon space launch propulsion," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "We have been working diligently on the AR1 program since 2014 and remain on target to deliver a flight-qualified AR1 engine in 2019 as promised. The latest testing validates our flight design and provides high confidence as we move further into AR1 engine manufacturing."
The AR1 engine is being developed as a replacement for Russian-made engines currently used on domestic rockets. AR1 is a 500,000 lbf thrust-class liquid oxygen/kerosene booster engine that incorporates the latest advances in rocket engine technology, materials science and modern manufacturing techniques to deliver an affordable, reliable booster engine quickly.
"AR1 is the lowest risk, lowest cost and fastest path to end U.S. reliance on Russian engines for the launch of America's national security and civil space missions," added Drake.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=0k_IYDKt7CTqLk5wQ750urb15L6Kt7IiPCJRBt2Wzmbk56KkcqS1aOKUogdzerYOcVf74cIOXRXZIWP1RLVUmA==) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=iGUyT4lyJ2Lle45pjircXUB7NE0-PkoDR32o7CuqJGeQRTp4QLpByEHzJqcnRBa6TLRoMH3xVGPh6CYyfKNu5o2luMQ97VjNTLxgpyxZJpU=).


(https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/forum/file/69019)

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Вау ! Они тоже пошли в тупик им. Глушко!  :o   :D

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Вау ! Они тоже пошли в тупик им. Глушко!  :o   :D

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne : Key Milestone Completed for NASA's Orion Spacecraft to Ensure Astronaut Safety
03/01/2017 | 02:18pm EST

REDMOND, Wash., March 01, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), recently completed hot-fire acceptance testing of eight auxiliary engines that will be used on the first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft with the Space Launch System rocket, slated to launch in 2018.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2fb2ecb3-4512-4575-9488-02ae8ace74be
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/156901.jpg)
Orion's European Service Module (ESM), which remains connected to the spacecraft throughout the mission until just prior to Orion's re-entry to Earth's atmosphere, provides propulsion, power, temperature control, air, and water for crew members. The European Space Agency (ESA) is providing the ESM to NASA for Orion. Aerojet Rocketdyne is responsible for the ESM's eight auxiliary engines and is assisting Lockheed Martin in the refurbishment of the Orbital Maneuvering Subsystem (OMS) engine that Aerojet Rocketdyne originally manufactured for the Space Shuttle and will now be used as the main propulsion for ESM.

'The design approach that has power and propulsion provided by a separate service module traces back to the Apollo program,' said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. 'The auxiliary engines we are delivering to Lockheed Martin and NASA for the European Service Module provide a redundant capability to the OMS engine capability.'

The ESM auxiliary engines are based on the company's R-4D design and work in concert with the main OMS engine. By performing off-pulsing for steering and providing redundant capability for the main engine, the auxiliary engines are critical to ensuring astronaut safety. Each auxiliary engine provides 105 pounds of thrust and is capable of firing more than 7,000 seconds in space. They will be located in four pairs on the outside of the ESM.

Starting more than 40 years ago with the Apollo program, Aerojet Rocketdyne has built more than 700 R-4D engines that have compiled a record of 100 percent mission success. Variants of the R-4D have played critical roles in orbit-raising maneuvers for commercial satellites, as well as assisting NASA in exploring the solar system aboard spacecraft such as Cassini, which investigated Saturn and its moons.

'Successful acceptance testing of the auxiliary engines brings us one step closer to enabling human exploration well beyond low-Earth orbit,' said Mike Hawes, Lockheed Martin Orion vice president and program manager.

In addition to providing propulsion for the ESM, Aerojet Rocketdyne also supplies twelve 160-pound-thrust monopropellant engines for the Orion crew module's reaction control system and the jettison motor that is instrumental in separating the launch abort system from the crew module to keep astronauts safe should a problem arise during launch.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:

ЦитироватьSeerndv пишет:
Вау ! Они тоже пошли в тупик им. Глушко!  :o   :D  

Пока они установили американский рекорд для кислородно керосиновой КС.
В связи с этим возникает вопрос, что же испытывал Маск под названием Раптор, если его рекорд по двигателю схемы газ-газ уже побит?

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Они всего-то тестировали ГГ + форсунки. Наверно рекорд давления в ГГ.

Цитироватьrecently demonstrated the highest chamber pressure of any United States produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Они всего-то тестировали ГГ + форсунки. Наверно рекорд давления в ГГ.

Дык белым по чёрному:

Цитироватьrecently demonstrated the highest chamber pressure of any United States produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system.

ГГ зовётся preburner.  ;)

ЦитироватьDuring this testing, Aerojet Rocketdyne combined the engine's preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector design parameters and performance.

ЦитироватьSalo пишет:
Так что же всё-таки испытывали в SpaceX?

Цитироватьhighest chamber pressure of any United States produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system

Цитировать NASA_SLS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_SLS (https://twitter.com/NASA_SLS)
Congrats on a great test! @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) #RS25 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/RS25?src=hash) engine test goes full duration, 500 seconds @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis)! #NASASLS (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASASLS?src=hash) @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157470.jpg)

ЦитироватьLive now! RS-25 engine test from NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center!
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration is testing the first RS-25 engine controller today that will be used on the first flight of #NASASLS. The new controller or "brain" has the electronics that operate the engine and communicate with the SLS vehicle. The flight engine controller was installed on RS-25 development engine No. 0528 ahead of today's planned 500-second test on the A-1 Test Stand. Once test data is certified, the engine controller will be removed and installed on one of four flight engines that will help power the first integrated flight of SLS and the NASA's Orion Spacecraft spacecraft. The RS-25 engines that will help power the SLS vehicle on its first flights are former space shuttle main engines, built for NASA by Aerojet Rocketdyne. Four engines will fire simultaneously to provide 2 million pounds of thrust and operate in conjunction with a pair of solid rocket boosters to power the SLS launch.

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Tests Full-Scale RL10 3-D Printed Copper Thrust Chamber Assembly

[/li]
• Press Release - Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne
• Posted April 3, 2017 10:33 AM
• (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155813.png) (http://spaceref.biz/company/aerojet-rocketdyne-tests-full-scale-rl10-3-d-prine-copper-thrust-chamber-assembly.html#Comments)0 Comments (http://spaceref.biz/company/aerojet-rocketdyne-tests-full-scale-rl10-3-d-prine-copper-thrust-chamber-assembly.html#Comments)
  

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/115349.jpg)

©AEROJET ROCKETDYNE

RL10 Test



Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD) has successfully hot-fire tested a full-scale, additively manufactured thrust chamber assembly for the RL10 rocket engine that was built from a copper alloy using selective laser melting (SLM) technology, which is often referred to as 3-D printing.


Aerojet Rocketdyne has actively been working over the last decade to incorporate 3-D printing technology into the RL10 and other propulsion systems to make them more affordable while taking advantage of the inherent design and performance capabilities made possible by 3-D printing. This recent testing was enabled by the Defense Production Act Title III program management office located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
"Aerojet Rocketdyne has made several major upgrades to the RL10 to enhance the engine's performance and affordability since it first entered service in the early 1960s," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "Incorporating additive manufacturing into the RL10 is the next logical step as we look to make the engine even more affordable for our customers."
"We believe this is the largest copper-alloy thrust chamber ever built with 3-D printing and successfully tested," said Additive Manufacturing Program Manager Jeff Haynes. "Producing aerospace-quality components with additive manufacturing is challenging. Producing them with a high-thermal-conductivity copper alloy using SLM technology is even more difficult. Infusing this technology into full-scale rocket engines is truly transformative as it opens up new design possibilities for our engineers and paves the way for a new generation of low-cost rocket engines."
The 3-D printed RL10 copper thrust chamber would replace the current RL10C-1 model design that uses a very complex array of drawn, hydroformed stainless steel tubes that are brazed together to form a thrust chamber. The new chamber design is made up of only two primary copper parts and takes just under a month to print using SLM technology; reducing overall lead time by several months. The part count reduction of greater than 90 percent is significant as it reduces complexity and cost when compared with RL10 thrust chambers that are built today using traditional manufacturing techniques.
Another key benefit provided by 3-D printing is the ability to design and build advanced features that allow for improved heat transfer. For many rocket engine applications, this enhanced heat transfer capability enables a more compact and lighter engine, which is highly desirable in space launch applications.
"This full-scale RL10 thrust chamber test series further proves that additive manufacturing technology will enable us to continue to deliver high performance and reliability while substantially reducing component production costs," said RL10 Program Director Christine Cooley. "Now that we have validated our approach with full-scale testing of a 3-D printed injector and copper thrust chamber, we are positioned to qualify a new generation of RL10 engines at a much lower cost; largely attributed to the additive manufacturing capabilities we have developed and demonstrated. With the next generation of RL10 engines, we aim to maintain the reliability and performance that our customers have come to expect, while at the same time making the engine more affordable to meet the demands of today's marketplace."
Aerojet Rocketdyne is applying 3-D printing technology to many of its other products, including the RS-25 engines that will help explore deep space, and the company's new AR1 booster engine that is being developed to replace Russian-built RD-180 engines by the congressionally-mandated deadline of 2019.
Since its first operational flight in 1963, more than 475 RL10 engines have flown in space to help place numerous spacecraft into Earth orbit and propel others to explore every planet in our solar system.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.
This material has been cleared for public release by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Case Number: 88ABW-2017-1178.


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ЦитироватьApr 10, 2017
Aerojet Rocketdyne Expands Competitive Improvement Program to Drive Affordability and Position for Future Growth
 
SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), announced plans for the next phase of its Competitive Improvement Program (CIP) that was launched in 2015. The next phase (Phase II) includes additional consolidation and optimization of Aerojet Rocketdyne facilities over the next two years.
"We are two years into the first phase of our CIP affordability drive and the consolidation progress, and overhead cost reductions achieved to date have exceeded our expectations," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "We intend to build on this success by expanding our CIP-related consolidation efforts so we can deliver the value our customers demand and position our company for further growth."
Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to consolidate its Sacramento and Vernon, California and Gainesville, Virginia sites while centralizing and expanding its existing presence in Huntsville, Alabama with a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for AR1 engine production, Additive Manufacturing, Composites production and Research & Development, expected to be ready for production in mid-2019.
"This expanded CIP effort is expected to result in $230 million in annual savings once complete, inclusive of the $145 million from the first phase of CIP," said Drake. "Given the dynamic nature of this industry, strategic business decisions such as these, while difficult, are critical to establishing a solid course for our future."
At the company's Sacramento site, defense-related program management, engineering and related support positions will be moved to the company's Huntsville, Alabama facilities, home of Aerojet Rocketdyne's Defense headquarters and Rocket Shop℠ Defense Advanced Programs, by the end of 2018. The majority of the remaining programs and support positions will be relocated to the company's Space headquarters at its Los Angeles, California, site. Between now and the end of 2019, the company will complete its manufacturing commitments in Sacramento, and the site will become the Shared Services Center of Excellence. In total, approximately 1,100 of the existing 1,400 positions in Sacramento are expected to be relocated or eliminated.
The company plans to close its Gainesville, Virginia facility in the third quarter of 2018. Approximately 170 positions there will be relocated or eliminated with relocations planned to Huntsville and the company's facility in Orange County, Virginia.
To accommodate the company's consolidations, overall growth plans for Huntsville include the addition of approximately 800 jobs to support America's space and defense needs for the next quarter century and beyond.
"We believe these actions are essential for the performance of our business and the growth of the company. The results from this initiative will benefit our valued employees, customers and shareholders alike," said Drake.
When fully implemented, the company anticipates that the CIP will result in annual cost savings as follows (in millions):
 

Annual savings upon completion of Phase I (expected 2019)		$145.0
Annual savings upon completion of Phase II (expected 2021)		85.0
Total annual savings		$230.0

The company expects total costs associated with the CIP, before any anticipated Phase II incentives to be finalized with state and local authorities, and recoveries through the pricing of the company's US government contracts, as follows (in millions):
 

Phase I costs through Dec. 31, 2016		$47.3
Remaining anticipated Phase I costs		65.7
Phase II anticipated costs		122.1
Total costs		$235.1

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Vn__U9-H9ZrF_EMPzgXJr7K-s55w3Krk8cz5BNW_s0X0Mjz6ACvUdpfyfwoisdeVDm6KDhVgy5x96BtWEqgCMQ==) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=b8tkWYiuhmOKH8v1HHyO6rfnjpIfHnZWXGpGJ8MXZUCfx-8rRMI_rXNGxZJJkFk2-lfIi8_UMgIwbMKYJeWCKofmX18TCgaTarxUw0ZGlRM=).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected depending on a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, among other things: economic and financial conditions; the ability to build, renovate and occupy new facilities by specified dates; the amount and timing of any expected reduction in operating expenses; the amount and timing of any costs associated with relocation of employees; and the ability to implement the anticipated business plans. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many factors that affect Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc.'s business as described in more detail in its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186042.jpg) Megs‏ @megsylhydrazine (https://twitter.com/megsylhydrazine) 7 мая (https://twitter.com/megsylhydrazine/status/861017716844445696)

ICYMI: Successful test of @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) AR1 Engine Preburner (printed w Mondaloy, a nickel-based alloy) @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis) http://www.rocket.com/article/successful-testing-full-scale-preburner-keeps-ar1-engine-schedule-2019 ... (https://t.co/bXdSFivyLc)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/158499.jpg)

ЦитироватьSuccessful Testing of Full-Scale Preburner Keeps AR1 Engine on Schedule for 2019

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss., May 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), recently conducted hot-fire tests to validate the design of the preburner for the AR1 rocket engine, which represents the nation's lowest-risk, lowest-cost-to-the-taxpayer and fastest path to replacing the Russian-built RD-180 engine currently used to launch most U.S. national security payloads into space.

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"This important milestone keeps AR1 squarely on track for flight readiness in 2019," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "Our proven design process and demonstrated manufacturing approaches are key contributors to Aerojet Rocketdyne's unmatched record of mission success. When replacing the Russian-made engines on current launch vehicles, mission success has to be the country's number one priority."

The preburner, a critical component that drives the engine's turbomachinery, was built using state-of-the-art techniques, including 3-D printing which features Aerojet Rocketdyne's proprietary Mondaloy™ high-strength, burn resistant nickel-based super alloy. With the design now confirmed, Aerojet Rocket has cleared one of the major technological hurdles to fulfill the congressional mandate to end U.S. dependence on Russian engine technology for military launches.

"Due to the hot, oxygen-rich environment inside a staged combustion engine like the AR1, burn resistant materials are necessary to ensure safe operation of the engine under all conditions," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space and Launch Programs and Strategy. "Mondaloy 200™ alloy is the perfect material to use in the AR1, particularly when combined with 3-D printing, because it eliminates the need for exotic metal coatings currently used in the Russian-made RD-180 engine that the AR1 is designed to replace."

The AR1 engine development is using the same rigorous methodology the company has used for its previous successful engine development programs, such as the RS-68, J-2X, RL10, and RS-25. Prior to full engine testing, the company is testing critical components and systems to validate the flight designs, ensuring that they are each robust prior to completing the flight engine design. Hundreds of component and subsystem tests along with manufacturing demonstrations have already occurred on the AR1 engine in advance of full engine testing. This approach minimizes changes once engine-level testing begins. The engine design team has now successfully completed a series of 22 component Critical Design Reviews leading up to an engine system Critical Design Review to support engine qualification and certification in 2019.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/233422.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne tests its AR1 engine preburner, which was built using a proprietary alloy and 3-D printing technology, at NASA's Stennis Space Center

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31158.jpg) Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) 13 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/864249269167038464)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Increases Thrust Level of 3-D Printed Bantam Rocket Engine by 500 Percent http://bit.ly/2qKScbq  (https://t.co/NMIVmOcAZw)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/157039.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/114029.jpg)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Increases Thrust Level of 3-D Printed Bantam Rocket Engine by 500 Percent

Ideal Engine to Power Small Launch Vehicles and Upper Stages
 
May 15, 2017 18:33 ET | Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.

3-D Printed Bantam Rocket Engine Undergoes Testing
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/114028.jpg) (http://globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/460503e0-e48f-4256-bd36-fd31de31dd84/en)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's 30,000 lbf thrust class 3D-printed Bantam engine undergoes testing at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center T-116 test facility
Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.
 
 HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD (http://globenewswire.com/News/Listing?symbol=AJRD&exchange=4)), recently completed a series of hot-fire tests on a 30,000 lbf thrust-class Bantam liquid-fueled rocket engine built with additive manufacturing, also known as 3-D printing. This is a 500 percent increase in the thrust level from the Baby Bantam engine (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=V6NwjjTsgUZ3p7bL47J1S1wkRMRZqXwkjXrFIAm_qQhDu5dVVSxtEnVtBwI3VoQdYQop8MxBQjvwm1Vvr-uaKrNpfHZVgppzfyAT4rAb0U2KW5xzIOTVWoM5ZErCfiIqt0Xb0ZJv8P7EAPlzEKHg2fJiCm1DVIrT3ahVtDbfDzBEl60ywcD1K9quVHgnyHLYJi-NWmRV6LDF3iiSBCeTYw==) the company 3-D printed and tested in June 2014.

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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/460503e0-e48f-4256-bd36-fd31de31dd84 (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=Z_yM4RDMwCT9Ak24y_kHFxJdxn2EOm9RwWP5Ee1QjLKsvPxKLQGcnvdMH3sr-HZMNrpa3Irtx7grhKai47sd-0_qnlWKsdpma8fonTTuxlLqto93b_j-yJq6DaVNpJqaB9JE8N1dr7qAoGfdjk9nbNYTiKsjW0rEh4CLPLziBPAZ-mGRDnlQP_zAKqHjKdfhDoNgRnA0qwjoj6zE3wBw-NqAomCxe4FT_xX7-GXljb_-mCXpqjefqJ9Rkbqr-fxfo5rxKQkaOe4KW2C8gLXe-Q==)

At the 30,000 lbf thrust level, this engine is ideal for the rapidly growing small launch vehicle and low-cost upper-stage markets. This latest milestone paves the way for Aerojet Rocketdyne to develop a family of low-cost, highly reliable rocket engines for booster, upper-stage and in-space propulsion solutions.

Under this activity funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully completed a series of 17 tests of a LOX/kerosene, regeneratively cooled, liquid rocket thrust chamber assembly demonstrating the performance, durability and reusability of the design. These tests explored a range of engine operating parameters, conditions and run durations validating the design and applicability of the additive manufacturing technology and its benefits. Rigorous development is critical in fielding successful rocket engines and is a key contributor to Aerojet Rocketdyne's unmatched mission success record.

"Our Bantam engine evolved from proven kerosene engine development experience and offers the user high performance at a very low cost with the reliability that Aerojet Rocketdyne has been known to provide for decades," said Dr. Jay Littles, director of Advanced Launch Propulsion Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Successful completion of this test series provides empirical validation of the performance, reusability and operability of the engine system and Aerojet Rocketdyne's capabilities in the application of additive manufacturing to liquid rocket engines."

The 30,000 lbf thrust-class engine, which would normally be comprised of over 100 parts, is built from only three additively manufactured major components: the injector assembly; the combustion chamber; and a throat and nozzle section. These three major components are welded together to form a single thrust chamber assembly.

"The demonstration of a regeneratively cooled, high-chamber-pressure engine made completely with 3-D printing is another key milestone in Aerojet Rocketdyne's path to reducing the cost of rocket propulsion systems," added Littles. "Printing the part is not the hard part, it is printing parts that can provide the performance and reliability that our customers depend on that is the key."

The Bantam engine was designed, fabricated and tested in just seven months at a fraction of the cost of producing the engine using traditional fabrication methods. Its recurring price would also be a fraction of the cost of today's products.

"The new generation of product aims to help change the economics of space access that is critical to our warfighter, civil and commercial customers," said Littles.

"The results of this test program confirm that we are on the right path to take advantage of the advancements we've made in 3-D printing technology as a key part of our strategy to deliver more affordable products to our customers while we maintain the reliability they've come to expect," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "This successful series is another positive step in the validation of our technical approach and provides the foundation for future engine designs that take advantage of 3-D printing technology to enable us to reduce production lead times and make our products more cost-competitive."

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=9prt4luPp0tINHY5NeuMYHhHZHv8i9tsClaIuLm9ZM4PAPTSluTS51Ank66n886GVIpYp_4frNwnhNM3lcPutg==) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=v2EIyjnRD2e5zsSJeV5dQNKdYuVEEOvu-nzAj-fNZXOsr_eal05hymPMCjOSvYx_ecfFzovBDLSqqvkHYUQzQw1EzCijD5kDpQfw3Fvq9Sw=).

Contact: Glenn Mahone, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 202-302-9941
Glenn.Mahone@Rocket.com

Mary Engola, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 571-289-1371
Mary.Engola@Rocket.com

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ЦитироватьAR1 engine clears milestone in step toward ending U.S. reliance on Russian propulsion
 May 19, 2017 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126472.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne tests its AR1 engine preburner, which was built using a proprietary alloy and 3-D printing technology, at NASA's Stennis Space Center. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
A rocket engine that could power United Launch Alliance's next-generation rocket has passed a major design review, clearing the way for full-scale hotfire testing starting next year and certification for test flights in 2019, according to Aerojet Rocketdyne, the powerplant's developer.
ULA says Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 engine is a backup to Blue Origin's BE-4 powerplant for the launch company's new Vulcan rocket. ULA managers plan to confirm the selection of the BE-4 engine for the Vulcan booster later this year, assuming the Blue Origin engine successfully completes a series of ground firings to verify its performance.
The AR1 engine's critical design review, completed May 5, was a "huge achievement" that occurred on the schedule Aerojet Rocketdyne set out when it kicked off development of the AR1 in 2014, said Jim Simpson, the company's vice president of business development and strategy.
"We're on track right now for certification planned in 2019 for the AR1," Simpson said in an interview with Spaceflight Now.
Aerojet Rocketdyne said the AR1 engine could be ready to power the U.S. government's valuable national security payloads into space as soon as 2020.
Now the engine needs a rocket.
ULA officials say the BE-4 engine, which burns methane and liquid oxygen propellants, is their top candidate to boost the Vulcan first stage, but they want to see the engine complete a campaign of full-scale test firings before confirming the selection.
Tory Bruno, ULA's president and CEO, said last month that engineers will look for start-up instability and other issues during the test series. The BE-4 engine is the first methane-fueled engine of its scale, a design decision that could aid reuse of the powerplant on multiple flights but also comes with uncertainties, Bruno said.
Blue Origin tweeted Sunday that it lost a set of powerpack hardware Saturday during a test mishap at the company's West Texas development facility. Two test stands are available for BE-4 firings at the test site near Van Horn, Texas.
The powerpack includes the turbopumps, valves and other components at the heart the engine.
Blue Origin shipped the first full-size BE-4 engine fr om its manufacturing plant in Kent, Washington, to West Texas earlier this year to begin the full-scale test series.
Smaller-scale BE-4 powerpack testing has been underway at Blue Origin since 2014.
ULA is moving on fr om its current Atlas and Delta rocket fleets in response to competition from the lower-cost SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and to end reliance on Russian propulsion on the Atlas 5 used to send U.S. military and spy satellites into space.
Funded in a cost-sharing arrangement between Aerojet Rocketdyne, ULA and the U.S. Air Force, the AR1 engine will generate 500,000 pounds of thrust at full power. It also burns the same kerosene/liquid oxygen mixture as the Russian RD-180 engine currently flying on the Atlas 5 rocket.
Simpson said engineers from ULA, the Air Force, NASA and the Aerospace Corp. reviewed the progress made on the AR1 engine program and agreed with Aerojet Rocketdyne's plan to start producing engine components for full-scale testing.
"We exceeded all of our requirements and had no liens on the critical design review, in other words, any follow-up actions that we need to complete," Simpson said in a May 8 interview with Spaceflight Now.
Simpson said officials conducted the critical design review on schedule.
"The most important part was that when we started this schedule about two years ago, we were planning on having a CDR in this timeframe, and we achieved that ... So we're on track right now for the certification planned for 2019 for the AR1."
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/126473.jpg)
Artist's concept of an AR1 engine set. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Blue Origin says the privately-funded BE-4 engine, financed primarily by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, could be certified by the end of this year.
Despite the BE-4's head start — Blue Origin kicked off its development two years before the AR1 program launched — Aerojet Rocketdyne officials said the company's experience and the AR1's similarity to the Atlas 5's RD-180 engine are two major competitive advantages.
"Our company has been through a lot of engine development, so our approach right now, because of our experience base, is to really nail down the design before we move into major manufacturing," said Tom Martin, senior manager of business development for Aerojet Rocketdyne's defense and commercial launch programs. "That way we don't get into a whole lot of what we call test-fail-fix cycles because we've got that experience base."
The critical design review gave the green light for Aerojet Rocketdyne to start building full-size AR1 development engines, Martin said.
Final assembly of the AR1 engines will be based at NASA's Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi, wh ere Aerojet Rocketdyne currently headquarters its RS-68 and RS-25 engine programs for the Delta 4 rocket and NASA's Space Launch System.
AR1 engines will be test-fired on the A2 test stand at Stennis, a facility previously used for testing of the second stage of the Saturn 5 moon rocket, space shuttle main engines, and the J-2X engine.
"We'll get into testing in 2018, then we'll do a full year of development testing with multiple engines, and then we go through what's called qualification," Martin said. "We have our development engines, and we have qualification engines. Those qualification engines are for a very specific set of tests to ensure that we've met all of our requirements. At that point, we say that the design is qualified or certified for integration into the launch vehicle."
According to Simpson, Aerojet Rocketdyne is already wrapping up full-scale testing of an AR1 engine component called the preburner, which drives the engine's turbomachinery. Testing of the AR1 thrust chamber is also underway.
While ULA says a direct replacement for the RD-180 is unrealistic, Simpson said the AR1 is a better fit for ULA's existing rocket design, tooling and ground infrastructure.
"We designed the engine such that a two-engine set in a propsulion module could be ins erted in to the current Atlas to enable utilization of the Atlas without the RD-180," Simpson said. "It's able to achieve missions that the current Atlas achieves. If you are looking at how quickly you can do it, that is what we believe is the fastest approach."
Both the BE-4 and AR1 engines generate less thrust than the RD-180, so ULA will need to install two of the new powerplants on its next-generation booster to equal — and exceed — the Atlas 5's current capability.
Bruno said last month that either engine will require an overhaul of the current Atlas design, including the development of a new thrust structure to house the engines.
In the case of the BE-4, the Vulcan's first stage will measure nearly 18 feet (5.4 meters) in diameter, around 40 percent wider than the Atlas 5's core booster to accommodate the less dense methane fuel. A version of the Vulcan rocket with AR1 engines would have about the same width of the Atlas 5's 12.5-foot (3.8-meter) first stage, but with stretched propellant tanks to improve performance.
ULA intends to launch the Vulcan rocket from the current Atlas 5 pads at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
"Obviously, you don't have to change some of the ground infrastructure for a new fuel," Simpson said. "The volume that's required for a methane system vs. a LOX/RP (liquid oxygen/kerosene) system makes it such that the structures are smaller, so by definition, they'll be less expensive. From an overall system standpoint, we believe it's quite competitive with the Blue Origin system."
"There will be changes," he added. "We just don't think they're as dramatic as it would be for change in the complete fuel system."
Simpson compared the proposed switch from an RD-180 engine to the AR1 to the upgrade of the Atlas rocket family, then managed by Lockheed Martin, from the Atlas 2 to the Atlas 3 in the late 1990s.
The transition from the Atlas 2's MA-5A propulsion system to the Atlas 3, which pioneered the use of Russian RD-180s in the Atlas family before the Atlas 5's debut, kept the same basic Atlas first stage design, but with longer propellant tanks to accommodate the oxidizer-hungry RD-180.
"Never has a methane-based launch vehicle been flown," Martin said. "So there's a whole lot of risk there on the vehicle side, as well as on the engine side, when you're talking methane as a new propellant, particularly moving from a room temperature propellant (RP-1 kerosene) that's very easy to handle, and very well known, to a cryogenic system, which adds a whole lot of complexity.
"That's part of the rationale we believe says that the total system cost will be less for an Atlas-based RP-1-based launch vehicle," Martin said.
But ULA also seeks to cut the cost of each launch and rely on less government funding. ULA is developing a new, more capable cryogenic second stage to replace the Atlas 5's current Centaur upper stage, and the company aims to begin recovering and reusing Vulcan main engines around 2024, using mid-air recovery of engine pods instead of landing the complete first stage booster as SpaceX does.
Rocket engineers say a methane-fueled engine like the BE-4 is easier to reuse, in theory, because it leaves fewer contaminants inside pipes and pumps than kerosene-fueled engines, such as the AR1 and SpaceX's Merlin powerplants.
Martin said the AR1 could be reused if selected by ULA.
"We have had discussions with ULA about reusability, and in the context of their concept, wh ere it's (something) like five to 10 reuses, AR1 meets that requirement," Martin said. "For example, during development testing, we'll baseline testing these engines at least 20 times, and usually quite a bit more. They're inherently reusable to a certain amount, and then it's just a question of how reusable.
The Air Force awarded funding to ULA and Aerojet Rocketdyne last year for the BE-4 and AR1 engines. While the BE-4 development remains funded by Blue Origin, the Air Force money going to ULA will help integrate the engine into the Vulcan first stage.
The Air Force committed up to $536 million to the AR1 program through 2019, a total figure still subject to the engine's eventual selection by ULA over the BE-4. Aerojet Rocketdyne agreed to invest a combined $268 million of private capital into the AR1 engine development, assuming the Air Force ends up approving its full funding amount.
Bruno said last month ULA already has signed an engine delivery contract with Blue Origin for BE-4s, an agreement that includes firm price commitments per engine. He said ULA does not yet have a firm unit price for each AR1 engine.
And what if ULA ends up choosing the BE-4?
"Right now, I will say the focus is on the ULA system," Simpson said. "Because of the inherent design of the AR1, there could be potential uses in it for some planned reusable systems.
"We've looked at launch system configurations ourselves, but frankly, there's no real defined AR1 opportunities outside of ULA."

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31158.jpg) Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) 17 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/876132243676303361)

Have you seen the mighty RS-25 @ #NASAinthePark (https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASAinthePark?src=hash) yet? #GoForMars (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoForMars?src=hash) #SLSFiredUp (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLSFiredUp?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163463.jpg)

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31158.jpg) Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) 6 июл. (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/883051769730924545)

AR Successfully Tests Advanced Electric Propulsion System to Further Nation's Space Capabilities http://bit.ly/2tWwbYE  (https://t.co/6AohJGMrC6) Pic: @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) #SEP (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SEP?src=hash)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/164477.jpg)

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Tests Advanced Electric Propulsion System to Further Nation's Space Technology Capabilities

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 06, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), successfully conducted a series of hot-fire tests on a Power Processing Unit (PPU) for an Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) designed to advance the nation's commercial space capabilities as well as support NASA's plans for deep space exploration. The tests were conducted at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

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"The Power Processing Unit successfully demonstrated stable operation of the propulsion system and responded appropriately to all of our planned contingency scenarios," said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space and Launch Programs and Strategy at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "This is a critical step in providing advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP), which is necessary for affordable cargo and logistics transportation in support of human missions to Mars."

"Aerojet Rocketdyne has a long successful history designing and developing electric propulsion systems, and we look forward to maturing high power Hall systems for multiple applications, including NASA, defense and commercial missions," said Aerojet Rocketdyne's CEO and President Eileen Drake. "Congratulations to everyone involved in advancing this critical technology that will change the way humans explore space."

The tests were performed in conjunction with NASA's Technology Development Unit thruster and a Xenon Flow Control Unit. They are being conducted as part of a $65 million contract that NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne in April 2016. Under the contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop, qualify and deliver five 12.5 kilowatt Hall thruster subsystems, including thrusters, PPUs and xenon flow controllers. The AEPS Hall thrusters deliver twice the thrust when compared to Aerojet Rocketdyne's state-of-the-art XR-5 Hall thrusters, which are presently used to deliver government and commercial satellites to their geosynchronous orbit. According to NASA, work performed under the contract could increase spacecraft transportation fuel efficiency by 10 times over current chemical propulsion technology.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is maturing the thruster system under development at Glenn with support from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to a flight system capable of 23,000 hours of life. This flight propulsion system will form the core of SEP vehicles that NASA can use for efficient transportation of habitats and cargo needed for human exploration of deep space destinations beyond low-Earth orbit.

Aerojet Rocketdyne received the contract from NASA as part of the Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Demonstration Mission, which is funded under the Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com).

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Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/31158.jpg) Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) 18 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/887791820868136960)

What's the perfect mid-week pick-me-up? An #AR1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AR1?src=hash) preburner test @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis)! Always a great day when you're testing. #ReadyFor2019 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/ReadyFor2019?src=hash)

Video (https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/887791820868136960)

ЦитироватьAR1 Preburner Test

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220676.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGW0Dc2N-dMIAoTvSLwD0g) Aerojet Rocketdyne (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGW0Dc2N-dMIAoTvSLwD0g)

Опубликовано: 21 июл. 2017 г.

AR1 preburner testing at NASA's Stennis Space Center

ЦитироватьRS-68A ASSEMBLY AND TEST

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220706.jpg)  (https://www.youtube.com/user/AerojetRocketdyne) Aerojet Rocketdyne (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1M-7q-kDoD_PZXyBHkurRQ)

Опубликовано: 27 июл. 2017 г.

The RS-68A is the world's most powerful liquid-hydrogen/liquid-oxygen booster engine designed to provide increased thrust and improved fuel efficiency for the Delta IV family of launch vehicles. Watch time-lapse footage of an engine being built at Aerojet Rocketdyne's facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

ЦитироватьAR1 rocket R&D costs reach $228 million
by Michael Fabey (http://spacenews.com/author/mike-fabey/) — August 7, 2017

This story has updated to correct the R&D figures for the AR1.

WASHINGTON — Research and development (R&D) costs for the AR1 rocket from the program's inception through June 30 have reached about $228 million, according to recent Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filings by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the engine's manufacturer.

The U.S. Air Force in February 2016 sel ected Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to share in a public-private partnership to jointly develop the liquid oxygen-kerosene AR1 as a next-generation engine alternative to the Russian RD-180.

Спойлер

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155708.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne conducted a series of hot-fire tests on the preburner design for the AR1, keeping the program on schedule to be flight-ready by 2019, the company said. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

The total agreement is valued at $804.0 million with the U.S. Air Force investing two-thirds of the funding required to complete development of the AR1 engine by the end of 2019, Aerojet Rocketdyne reports.

The total potential U.S. government investment, including all options, is $536.0 million, the company reports. The total potential investment by Aerojet Rocketdyne and its partners, including all options, is $268.0 million. Under the terms of the AR1 agreement, the Air Force contributions are recognized proportionately as an offset to R&D expenses.

The Air Force thus far has funded about $135.3 million of the R&D costs and ULA has funded about $9.2 million, with net Aerojet Rocketdyne applied contract costs reaching about $51.8 million, the company reports. There additional costs, such as those expensed, but not yet expensed or applied to contracts.

ULA is also developing a next-generation launch vehicle — the Vulcan. ULA has partnered with Blue Origin to deliver its first-stage main engine (BE-4).

"Aerojet Rocketdyne remains ULA's alternative to the outcome of the BE-4 program," the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted in recent report. "The AR-1 could be available for a first flight on a ULA Vulcan about a year after the BE-4 Vulcan first flight."

Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesman Glenn Mahone said the 2016 CRS report is dated and fails to reflect the varying levels of progress over the last year. The program remains on schedule, he said, noting the company has completed design review, held successful staged-combustion tests, full-scale preburner tests and conducted successful manufacturing demonstrations.

"We are on track for certification in 2019 and remain on the schedule we laid out two years ago, which includes engine testing next year," he said.

Aerojet Rocketdyne touted the successful series of hot-fire tests in May that validate the preburner design for the AR1, keeping the program on schedule to be flight-ready by 2019.

Meanwhile, BE-4 experienced some development testing issues with power packs in June.

"Even with a smooth, on-schedule transition away fr om the RD-180 to an alternative engine or launch vehicle," CRS reported, "the performance and reliability record achieved with the RD-180 to date would likely not be replicated until well beyond 2030."

Mahone noted the strong track record of the Atlas 5. "Which is why we continue to advocate changing out the propulsion module with an American engine featuring the same proven engine cycle and fuel rather than developing a brand new launch vehicle and modifying the launch infrastructure associated with it," he said. "Minimizing the changes to a proven launch vehicle maximizes retention of demonstrated reliability. We should be capitalizing on the Atlas 5's success. It should be noted that the Atlas rocket family has demonstrated its ability to be re-engined in the past."

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ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne: Do SpaceX and Blue Origin have pension plans?                   
 by Peter B. de Selding (https://www.spaceintelreport.com/author/peter/) | Sep 1, 2017
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140220.webp)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's business includes a joint-development partnership with the US Air Force to develop the AR-1 engine, competing with Blue Origin's BE-4 to replace Russia's RD-180 on Atlas 5 rockets; and the main and upper-stage engines on NASA's Space Launch System. SLS alone accounted for 16% of the company's revenue for the first six months of 2017. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
 
PARIS — Aerojet Rocketdyne looks at SpaceX to its left and Blue Origin to its right and concludes: Freed of our Old Space/defense contractor fetters, many required by legislation, we could be like them.
But it's a long process, as company Chief Financial Officer Paul R. Lundstrom has been telling investors.
The company is in the middle of a six-year Competitive Improvement Program whose goal is to shed up to $235 million in annual costs — no mean feat for a business with total revenue of $1.8 billion.
It is in the front lines of the annual battle in the U.S. Congress over funding for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), which this year so far has accounted for 16% of Aerojet Rocketdyne's revenue.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, meanwhile, is years behind schedule but may make its inaugural flight this year. If successful, the SLS/Falcon Heavy comparisons may not favor SLS from a U.S. taxpayer perspective.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is competing with Blue Origin, financed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, to replace the Russian RD-180 rocket as the main-stage engine for the United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 vehicle.
Blue Origin's BE-4 has been developed with Bezos's money. Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 is under development with assistance from the U.S. Air Force.
Lundstrom says the media make too much of the AR1-BE-4 competition's importance to Aerojet Rocketdyne. Because this is not a business that the company now has — unlike the Atlas 5 strap-on booster work, recently lost to Orbital ATK — a win over Blue Origin would be pure upside.
"This is not a make or break for Aerojet Rocketdyne," Lundstrom said in a June presentation to investors. "I mean, I would love to have it. It'd be tons of volume for many, many years but this is not a make or break. It gets so much press that I think there's a pretty significant misconception that, 'Oh my gosh, if AR1 doesn't go our way, we're in big trouble.' That's absolutely not true."
Beyond the specific programs, Lundstrom said companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne operate under rules set years ago that neither SpaceX nor Blue Origin need worry about.
Here's how he put it during an Aug. 9 investor presentation:

Old school, but not by choice

"SpaceX, rightfully so, gets a lot of press. I would say they do a very good job marketing as well. But with commercial entrants into the aerospace and defense market, the rocket business in particular, it's not just SpaceX. It's Blue Origin as well and there's a couple of others; it's put pressure on some of the old-school, legacy aerospace and defense companies because they don't bring with them all the decades of cost baggage, frankly.
"They don't have pension plans, they don't have environmental liabilities, they don't necessarily have the infrastructure that is typically required to be a DOD contractor – CAS [Cost Accounting Standards], TINA [Truth in Negotiations Act] compliance, FAR [Federal Acquisition Regulations] compliance — all that stuff they don't bring with them. And so that's put pressure on aerospace defense companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne, and we've responded.
"You look at what we launched back in 2015, the Competitive Improvement Program. I wouldn't say that was a direct response to SpaceX and Blue Origin, but it's certainly helped to move it along.
"The goal is, look, we have to be as competitive as we possibly can be. We have to continue to work to take cost out of the structure. And that's what we're doing with the CIP. You look at a business our size, last year I mentioned, we were $1.8 billion. Over the next few years we're going to take $240 million of cost out of the system. That's incredible.
"The goal being we're trying to make ourselves as competitive as we can be within the confines of being a DOD contractor so we can continue to win work going forward.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/140182.webp)
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA, has contracted with Boeing to design the Experimental Spaceplane, XS-1, which will use the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engine. Intended to launch 450-kilogram satellites into low Earth orbit as often as 10 times in 10 days, it's at the opposite end of the launch spectrum from SLS, which for now is seen as launching once every two years. Credit: DARPA
 
AR1 vs Blue Origin BE-4

"The RD-180 is a Russian-built engine and it's the booster engine for the Atlas 5. So today if you look at U.S. DOD national security missions, we're using Russian engines for those missions.
"Back [in] 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea, there was a congressional mandate that came out that basically said: Look, enough. We can no longer rely on Russian-built engines for U.S. national security missions. So there's essentially a mandate in place that says, by the time you get to 2019 you have to be using U.S.-built products.
"So it kicks off this competition. The Aerojet Rocketdyne AR1 was designed to be a direct replacement to the RD-180. What that means is, with as a little cost as possible, that engine can directly replace the RD-180, which means the same launch vehicle, same pad, same infrastructure and the same propellant — liquid oxygen/ kerosene fuel booster.
'Contrast that with the Blue Origin option; it's a completely new system. It's also a new engine but it's a liquid oxygen/methane, which means you need a brand new launch vehicle, you need a new launch pad, you need new infrastructure.
"The goal of the AR1 program was to do this in a very tight cost envelope without a whole bunch of incremental investment required: no new launch vehicle, no new launch pad and you can use the existing Atlas launch vehicle to power these national security missions. With Blue Origin, everything is going to be new.
"How do I handicap it? At this point the press would suggest that Blue Origin and their BE-4 is the heir apparent. If that's the case and that's ULA's and the Air Force's decision, that's fine. We support them, they're fantastic customers, we want them to be successful, we want to partner with them.
"I would independently just say: Who's going to pay for the launch vehicle and the pad? All that's incremental cost. Someone is going to have to pay for it. And if getting off that Russian engine by 2019 is the objective, how are we going to meet that schedule if no one is working on that new launch vehicle or all that infrastructure? It's going to be interesting.
"It looks like the BE-4 is the heir apparent, but we stand by, ready as the backup engine. If we're selected, which we would love to be, we'll move forward and hopefully help the U.S. with those missions for many years to come.

Development, then production; Who pays?

"If you look at a rocket engine production program, particularly one that is going to be used for DoD, you need a certified rocket factory. We have one; not everyone does. I'll just say it like that. So we could produce the AR1 today. Not everybody can do that.
"How difficult is it to do a full-on production program? It's extremely difficult. I mean we've been doing that since the 1950s with the launch of the U.S. space program. Not everybody has. And I'll just say there are years and years of standard work. Learning and legacy really does help on a run rate production program. Experience matters."

Цитировать (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185875.jpg) Mary Scott Hunter‏ @MaryScottHunter (https://twitter.com/MaryScottHunter) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/MaryScottHunter/status/922922098602917888)

Eileen Drake, President of @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) announcing defense business unit relocation to the Rocket City! 700 new jobs! @MadeinAL (https://twitter.com/MadeinAL)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/169026.jpg)

 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185859.jpg) Tommy Battle‏ @TommyBattle (https://twitter.com/TommyBattle) 9 ч. назад (https://twitter.com/TommyBattle/status/922935095723511811)

Excited to break ground on @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne)'s new Huntsville facility. Recruiting jobs has been and will continue to be a priority for me.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/169033.jpg)

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Breaks Ground On New Era of Advanced Manufacturing in Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 24, 2017 – Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), marked a key milestone today when it officially broke ground on a new, 136,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located in Huntsville, Alabama. During a ceremony, attended by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and other local dignitaries, the company took the next step in its journey to expand its existing presence in the region with a new, state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Facility.

Aerojet Rocketdyne earlier announced that it was headquartering its Defense business unit in Huntsville, along with its defense advanced programs group known as the Rocket Shop℠, bringing roughly 800 new jobs to the region. In addition to the new manufacturing facility, Aerojet Rocketdyne recently leased 122,000 square feet of office space at 950 Explorer Blvd. in Cummings Research Park to accommodate newly hired employees and those relocating to Huntsville from other company locations. The changes are part of a larger Competitive Improvement Program the company launched in 2015 that is on track to deliver $230 million in annual savings once complete.

Спойлер

"The new Advanced Manufacturing Facility we are officially breaking ground on today is an essential component of Aerojet Rocketdyne's Competitive Improvement Program," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "The steps we are taking are focused on making our company increasingly agile and able to deliver high-quality, affordable products to our customers as we position Aerojet Rocketdyne for the future."

The new Advanced Manufacturing Facility, which is expected to begin production by the end of 2019, will be used to build a variety of aerospace products, including production work on the AR1 advanced rocket engine; composite cases for solid rocket motors; case pneumatic and hydrostatic proofing; and additive manufacturing (3-D printing) production work to support of a variety of programs in the space and defense sectors. This new facility will also be used to conduct advanced rocket propulsion research and development activities.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne has been a member of the Huntsville community for more than 50 years," added Drake. "Our major expansion in this region that started in 2016 underscores Aerojet Rocketdyne's belief that Huntsville, which is known as Rocket City, will continue to grow as a key aerospace and defense hub for our nation for many decades to come, and Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to be a leader in that growth."

Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/233429.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's Advanced Manufacturing Facility to be located in Huntsville, Alabama

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ЦитироватьAfter 37 years, Voyager 1 has fired up its trajectory thrustersThis week, the scientists and engineers on the Voyager team did something very special.
ERIC BERGER (https://arstechnica.com/author/ericberger/) - 12/2/2017, 12:45 AM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/after-37-years-voyager-has-fired-up-its-trajectory-thrusters/
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/133974.jpg)
The Voyager team is able to use a set of four backup thrusters, dormant since 1980. They are located on the back side of the spacecraft in this orientation.

At present, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is 21 billion kilometers from Earth, or about 141 times the distance between the Earth and Sun. It has, in fact, moved beyond our Solar System into interstellar space. However, we can still communicate with Voyager across that distance.
This week, the scientists and engineers on the Voyager team did something very special. They commanded the spacecraft to fire a set of four trajectory thrusters for the first time in 37 years to determine their ability to orient the spacecraft using 10-millisecond pulses.

"The Voyager team got more excited each time with each milestone in the thruster test. The mood was one of relief, joy, and incredulity after witnessing these well-rested thrusters pick up the baton as if no time had passed at all," Todd Barber, a propulsion engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. After sending the commands on Tuesday, it took 19 hours and 35 minutes for the signal to reach Voyager. Then, the Earth-bound spacecraft team had to wait another 19 hours and 35 minutes to see if the spacecraft responded. It did. After nearly four decades of dormancy, the Aerojet Rocketdyne manufactured thrusters fired perfectly.

In recent decades, Voyager had been relying on its primary thrusters to keep the spacecraft properly oriented so that it can maintain a communications link with Earth. But these attitude control thrusters have been degrading over time, requiring more and more energy each time they've been used.
By switching to the spacecraft's "trajectory correction maneuver" thrusters, last used during the spacecraft's encounter with Saturn in 1980, engineers say they will be able to extend the lifetime of Voyager by two or three more years before its waning power reserves expire.

ЦитироватьNASA удалось запустить двигатели Voyager 1 после 37 лет простоя
3 декабря, 12:33 UTC+3
 Зонд находится на расстоянии более 20 млрд км от Земли
 (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/133270.jpg)
 Voyager 1  © NASA/JPL-Caltech  
 
Специалисты Национального управления по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (NASA) смогли запустить двигатели межпланетного зонда Voyager 1, который находится на расстоянии более 20 млрд км от нашей планеты. Об этом говорится в сообщении на сайте ведомства (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/voyager-1-fires-up-thrusters-after-37/).
Посмотреть изображение в Твиттере

ЦитироватьNASA  ✔ @NASA
    If you tried to start a car that's been sitting for decades, you may not expect it to work. But a set of thrusters aboard the @NASAVoyager 1 spacecraft, which is now in interstellar space, successfully fired up Wednesday after 37 years without use! https://go.nasa.gov/2jC7bOK
    6:02 - 2 дек. 2017 г.

В последний раз они запускались в 1980 году.
"С этими двигателями, которые все еще функционируют после 37 лет простоя, мы сможем продлить срок службы "Voyager 1" на два-три года", - сказала Сюзанн Додд, руководитель проекта в Лаборатории реактивного движения NASA в Пасадине (штат Калифорния).
Сигнал к космическому аппарату шел 19 часов 35 минут.
 
Voyager 1 был запущен в космос 5 сентября 1977 года. Он стал первым космическим аппаратом, покинувшим пределы Солнечной системы и вышедшим в межзвездное пространство. Сейчас зонд движется со скоростью около 61 тыс. км/ч и примерно через 40 тыс. лет окажется на расстоянии 1,6 светового года от звезды Глизе 445 в созвездии Жирафа.
Зонд Voyager 2, был запущен 20 августа 1977 года. На космических аппаратах установлены радиоизотопные термоэлектрические генераторы для передачи информации на Землю, а также футляры с позолоченным диском диаметром около 30 см, фонографической капсулой и иглой для воспроизведения записи. На этих носителях содержится фото- и аудиоинформация, которая, по замыслу, даст потенциальным представителям внеземных цивилизаций возможность узнать о жизни на нашей планете.

ЦитироватьNASA releases Request For Information for new Orion Service Module engine
 written by Chris Gebhardt (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/author/cgebhardt/) February 15, 2018  
  (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209237.jpg)  (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2018-02-15-173316.jpg)
 
NASA has released a Request For Information for a new engine the agency will use on the Orion European Service Module beginning with EM-6 (Exploration Mission 6).  The Request For Information states that the engine is needed by mid-2024 in order to support the EM-6 flight of the Space Launch System, which under the currently in effect budget and operational timeline for NASA will be No Earlier Than 2027.

Orion Service Module engine RFI:
As part of NASA's plan to utilize as much hardware that remained at the end of the Space Shuttle program as possible for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=SLS) and Orion capsule (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=Orion), the agency mandated that Orion's European Service Module (ESM) utilize the leftover Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines for the first five Orion/ESM flights.
The supply of available Shuttle OMS engines will run out after EM-5, currently slated for No Earlier Than 2026, as the European Service Module is expended at the end of each flight and not reused.  As such, NASA requires a replacement engine beginning with EM-6 (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/nasa-goals-missions-sls-eyes-multi-step-mars/), and the agency took the first step toward that replacement yesterday in releasing a Request For Information (RFI) to the aerospace industry.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209238.jpg)
The Orion and European Service Module (with left-over Space Shuttle OMS engine) docked with the under construction Deep Space Gateway on the EM-3 mission. Credit: Nathan Koga for NSF/L2
 
"NASA invites industry to submit a response to this Request For Information to assist NASA in planning for the development of a new Service Module Main Engine for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle."
All RFI responses are due by 16 March 2018 to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and according to the RFI document, "are intended to provide input for an assessment of a new engine for the ESM with respect to the constraining performance and interface requirements.
 See Also

[/li]
• Orion Forum Section (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=38.0)
• L2 Orion Section (https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?board=29.0)
• Click here to Join L2 (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/l2/)
  

"NASA desires a low cost replacement engine to minimize program cost and schedule impacts to the Orion vehicle.  The replacement engine shall minimize development time for an engine and reduce manufacturing/production costs while still meeting NASA programmatic, technical, design, construction, and workmanship approaches and standards for human rating."
However, because the Orion ESM has been designed to use the leftover Shuttle OMS engines (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=European+Service+Module), the needed replacement engine must meet strict and already determined operational constraints and a host of other already-determined requirements.
Thus, NASA's RFI is a way to ensure the agency is following the best practices possible to keep the cost of the new engine down while still meeting all safety and timeline requirements.
Constraining parameters:
Based on the current Shuttle OMS engine (https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/?s=OMS+engine) parameters, NASA's RFI for the new service module engine states that the engine must have a minimum specific impulse (ISP) of 310 seconds using already established Standard Inlet Conditions.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209240.png)
The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and European Service Module. Credit: NASA
 
According to the RFI, those Standard Inlet Conditions include a fuel inlet pressure of 244 psia, an oxidizer inlet pressure of 240 psia, and a propellant temperature of 70℉.
The engine must also be able to produce roughly 6,000 lbf of steady-state thrust in a vacuum with an engine thrust roughness "less than +5% of average steady state thrust."
Moreover, the engine must reach 90% of steady-state thrust within 0.45 seconds (+/- 0.1 seconds) of receiving the "on" command while also not exceeding a peek overthrust of 150% of the mean steady-state thrust upon engine start.
The new engine must also use an oxidizer to fuel mixture ratio of 1.65 (+/- 0.03), carry a maximum weight of "~284 lbf" and a length of roughly 79 inches (with a max "head end to gimbal" length of 23 inches).
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209241.png)
Drawing of the current OMS engine for the European Service Module, showing length and height requirements/recommendations. Credit: NASA
 
The current Shuttle OMS engine "gimbal to nozzle exit" length of 56 inches can be varied on the new engine, and the RFI specifically notes that if such a variance is suggested that the RFI answering company provide insight as to why.
Additionally, the engine must be able to gimbal greater than +/- 6 degrees in pitch and yaw during operation, must not exceed a maximum power consumption of 309 W, must be able to restart as soon as 240 seconds after its previous shutdown, and must be capable of supporting a mission duration of a minimum of 21 days for lunar missions and 210 days of "quiescent duration in cislunar or transit conditions."
But the engine's space-base and operational requirements aren't the only points of information requested by NASA.  The agency also released a set of requirements for the engine's ground support, control of catastrophic hazards requirements, failure detection for crew safety requirements, independent confirmation of failure assessments, and reliability.
Specifically, NASA requested information on the ground handling elements for the engine, including installation, checkout, loading, cleaning, installation in Europe, testing in Europe and the United States, testing at various NASA centers/facilities, as well as launch preparations.
https://youtu.be/ZNW174YuFyo
https://youtu.be/ZNW174YuFyo (https://youtu.be/ZNW174YuFyo)
In terms of catastrophic hazards, the new ESM engine "shall provide failure tolerance to catastrophic hazards with no less than single failure tolerance except for areas approved by NASA or designed for minimum risk, zero failure tolerance, or integrated hazard controls."  Additionally, the engine must be able to detect failures that "could result in a catastrophic or critical hazard."
Importantly, the engine must have a strong reliability potential and confidence level for two types of missions.  For crewed lunar orbit flights, the engine must have a reliability of success probability of 99.8% and a minimum confidence level of 95%.  For lunar sortie missions, the engine must have a reliability of success probability of 99.7% and a similar minimum confidence level of 95%.
Given the already above established requirements, the RFI released by NASA listed several requested response topics, including but not limited to engine assembly configuration conceptual design, performance, and capabilities; engine life cycle design maturity and Technology Readiness Level assessments; development of long-term affordability considerations; funding and schedule profiles; and suggestions for potential cost-sharing opportunities between industry and government.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/209239.jpg)
The Orion European Service Module performs an orbit adjustment burn during a future flight. Credit: Nathan Koga for NSF/L2
 
Importantly, the RFI is not a request for a company to bid to build the engine, nor is it a guarantee that NASA will use or give credit for any design changes implemented to the new ESM engine based on the information received through the RFI process.
"The specific objective of this RFI is to solicit information that may potentially enhance NASA's planned approach for an OMS engine replacement, including engine subassembly, nozzle extension, and heat shield assembly, and assist in developing the acquisition strategy," notes the RFI document.
Moreover, NASA's RFI also states that "This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited.  NASA will use the information obtained as a result of this RFI on a non-attribution basis.  The information received may be used in developing the best approach for fulfilling these requirements, and therefore, may be recognizable to the interested party."

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 4 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/995814879654227971)

ARTICLE: RL10 engine – pushing towards 60 years of service – to live on with Vulcan -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/05/rl10-engine-60-years-service-live-vulcan/ ... (https://t.co/eC7Oy7zMnt)

Vulcan render by Nathan Koga (@kogavfx (https://twitter.com/kogavfx))

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163985.jpg)

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(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163986.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163987.jpg)

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ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Demonstrates Low-Cost, High Thrust Space Engine

REDMOND, Wash., May 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully completed hot-fire testing of a new in-space engine, designated ISE-100. Developed for commercial in-space applications, ISE-100 has the potential to be a critical element for future lunar robotic missions. Producing 100 pounds of thrust, the ISE engine has the capability to provide downward thrust during landing, easing spacecraft down to the lunar surface. ISE-100 is the latest in-space engine developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, adding to our portfolio of mission-proven thrusters that have propelled spacecraft to every planet in the solar system and interstellar space, and provided landing propulsion for Mars and asteroid missions.

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"As the nation sets its sights back on the Moon, Aerojet Rocketdyne stands ready to support commercial and NASA endeavors with reliable and affordable propulsion systems, like our new ISE-100 engine," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake.

Utilizing MON-25/MMH propellants, the ISE-100 is an affordable and dependable engine option for commercial operators to power spacecraft. MON-25 is a high performance storable oxidizer with a low freezing point that is particularly well suited to deep space environments. Another element of the low cost design approach is the engine's additively manufactured Titanium injector, which completed the entire test series without anomaly.

During the test program, the engine successfully accumulated 75 individual tests, 774 pulses and more than 500 seconds of hot-fire time. Key tests performed in this program included multiple long duration steady state burns; multiple short pulse trains; and a long endurance duty cycle, representative of potential robotic lunar lander missions.

"We've developed and demonstrated an engine that is low cost, high performance and capable of landing payloads on the Moon," said Aerojet Rocketdyne's Vice President of Advanced Space Programs Julie Van Kleeck.

The ISE-100 engine will now move fr om the development phase to the certification phase wh ere it will undergo additional configuration testing with flight qualified materials.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com/) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com/).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/163789.jpg)
Hot-fire test of Aerojet Rocketdyne's ISE-100 thruster conducted at the company's Redmond, Washington test facility

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ЦитироватьJeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) May 22 (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/998959129724104704)

Greg Jones, Aerojet Rocketdyne: with RL10 selections by ULA and Orbital, our factor in West Palm Beach will be filled up for a long time. #SpaceTechExpo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceTechExpo?src=hash)

ЦитироватьJeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust) May 22 (https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/998962271677280256)

Jones: we'll be doing test in June of the main engine for Boeing's Phantom Express spaceplane, firing it ten times in ten days. #SpaceTechExpo (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpaceTechExpo?src=hash)

ЦитироватьFirst Engine Assembled for DARPA and Boeing Reusable Experimental Spaceplane

June 04, 2018 15:00 ET | Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss., June 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed assembly of its first AR-22 rocket engine built for Boeing (NYSE:BA) as part of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Experimental Spaceplane program. This new Boeing spaceplane, called Phantom Express, is intended to demonstrate a new paradigm for more routine, responsive and affordable space access.

Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR-22 engine, derived from the Space Shuttle Main Engine that was designed from the outset for reusability, is the main propulsion for Phantom Express.

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"Phantom Express builds on our legacy of reusable space flight experience to provide the ability to quickly augment and replace on-orbit capabilities, which face an increasing array of threats from potential adversaries," said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. "Our immediate task is to demonstrate this rapid turnaround capability for this engine on the ground, paving the way for a demonstration program."

The AR-22 engine is capable of generating about 375,000 pounds (170,097 kg) of thrust and was designed to fly 55 missions with service every 10 missions. This reusability feature makes the AR-22 ideally suited for Phantom Express.

The reusable Phantom Express spaceplane will take off vertically and land horizontally. The vehicle will be equipped with an expendable second stage capable of placing up to 3,000 pounds (1,361 kg) of payload into low Earth orbit.

"The aircraft-like operations of Phantom Express are an important factor in the rapid turnaround of this spaceplane," said AR-22 Program Manager Jeff Haynes. "Additionally, the engine has a hinged nacelle that makes it easier to access and inspect the engines for rapid turnaround."

Aerojet Rocketdyne assembled the AR-22 at its facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine will undergo a series of daily hot-fire tests at Stennis starting this summer to demonstrate its ability to support the high flight rates envisioned for Phantom Express. These tests will also provide valuable insight that will be used to refine Phantom Express flight and turnaround procedures, while also informing the design requirements for the new ground infrastructure that Boeing is developing for the flight program.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8c4cbd07-1aba-4c41-a108-3529d3b7deac (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=6Ml55ocerUGzj8oU9xBMG-Z_SbMtQWkiSHDCl_sq9-GJA5Ns3usG1HpWQ--0eKKeccz2zZIw_lHNhHDa8Q7ja0umFgZEPOwcDKDGTaQ3-3F-Q8FiBhQ9s5P6rUAOy1zIyIB9h8B7eBJxG4G3rr4dpGFh-wpWM5BjSofybJF8NYIuJck-WGMiaHuwNgCFrM5wSIwAlFUPZX-_RehB8UgT_3doohhuBQWdwA2nN0cIzW3c9Wclc1R5vwGXFjgVt5Jnna7u-TM4JwR8AIPhX098qA==)
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http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/651ff68f-7c00-43bd-b650-5c85a1f0f5be (https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=6Ml55ocerUGzj8oU9xBMG-Z_SbMtQWkiSHDCl_sq9-GJA5Ns3usG1HpWQ--0eKKetuSl9phRmcA54WMj9y-QEpCjg4DYDJLBxQ2KWMVefoIyy_CWu92xwQUJDxi5BcO2D_vqs38DQl9Kc6ctgVLyDrQHNCrgvnNK40Ebeq-tJXk--01ooTbETquSDAoCx4uBtDDqpFM-EsPH-AYjoj6foHcaxvCwwA-YPjPvhlEcO1R0J4Z6cPLIuYeTXAsquazONCtfJSKEGwXO2SvAzjpUeQ==)
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ЦитироватьRL10 engine added to Air Force agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne
by Jeff Foust (http://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — June 26, 2018

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/155806.jpg)
A 3D-printed thrust chamber for the RL10 engine undergoes a hotfire test. Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to use technologies like additive manufacturing in the development of the RL10C-X engine, which is now supported by a revised agreement with the Air Force. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

RENTON, Wash. — Aerojet Rocketdyne and the U.S. Air Force have revised an existing agreement supporting development of a new large rocket engine to include work on an updated version of an upper stage engine.

The company announced June 25 that it signed a modification of its Rocket Propulsion System other transaction authority agreement with the Air Force to incorporate work on the RL10C-X engine. The original agreement, signed in February 2016, covered work on the AR1 booster engine.

The RL10C-X is an updated version of the RL10 currently used on the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 launch vehicles. The updated version makes used of advanced technologies, such as additive manufacturing, to lower production costs while maintaining performance and reliability.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne has extensive experience building rocket engines for most of the nation's preeminent launch vehicles and we will continue that legacy with the RL10C-X engine," Eileen Drake, president and chief executive of Aerojet Rocketdyne, said in a statement.

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The modified agreement comes after two companies announced plans to use the RL10 in the upper stages of next-generation launch vehicles they are developing. In April, Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems) announced it sel ected the RL10 for the upper stage of its OmegA rocket (http://spacenews.com/orbital-atk-selects-aerojet-rocketdynes-rl10c-for-newly-christened-omega-rocket/). In May, United Launch Alliance announced it would use the RL10 in the upper stage of its Vulcan rocket (http://spacenews.com/ula-selects-aerojet-to-provide-vulcan-upper-stage-engine/), including working with Aerojet on the development of the RL10C-X.

The modified agreement, Aerojet said, continues to support for work on the AR1 engine. Drake said in the statement that development of the "first complete AR1" is in progress, with hotfire tests scheduled for 2019.

The AR1 is one of two engines under consideration by ULA to power the first stage of the Vulcan rocket. The other, Blue Origin's BE-4, started hotfire tests last October. In a June 19 speech at the Amazon Web Services Public Sector Summit in Washington, Rob Meyerson, senior vice president of Blue Origin, said testing of the BE-4 was continuing with "full qualification" of the engine expected in 2019.

ULA executives have said for months that a decision on the engine it will use for Vulcan will come "soon," but have not offered more specific timelines or other updates on the engine selection process.

ULA is one of several companies seeking awards from the Air Force called Launch Service Agreements to support continued development of their new vehicles. Other competitors include Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX. The Air Force is expected to award up to three such agreements later this summer.

The Aerojet announcement didn't disclose financial terms of the revised agreement, but a June 22 contract announcement by the Defense Department listed the value of the award modification at $69.8 million. That announcement did not disclose how much funding was supporting the new RL10C-X work versus continued AR1 development.

The announcement also did not disclose if any other terms of the agreement changed. In February, the Air Force confirmed that Aerojet approached the Air Force about reducing the share of overall development costs (http://spacenews.com/air-force-and-aerojet-rocketdyne-renegotiating-ar1-agreement/) paid for by the company fr om one third to one sixth.

"The Air Force has gained the necessary approvals to do so, if a mutually beneficial arrangement can be reached with Aerojet Rocketdyne," the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) said in a Feb. 14 statement about a potential modification of the the cost-share portion of the agreement. "The Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne are still in discussions, but are working very hard to find closure on a restructured agreement."

Aerojet Rocketdyne spokesperson Mary Engola referred questions on contract details, including the split of funding between the AR1 and RL10 projects and any changes in the cost-sharing arrangements, to SMC. An SMC spokesperson was not able to immediately answer questions on those topics late June 25.

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ЦитироватьOrion Jettison Motor Ready for Crew Escape System Test

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne recently passed a key milestone in preparation for the Ascent Abort Test (AA-2) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/aa2_fact_sheet.pdf) next year with the successful casting of the Jettison Motor for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System (LAS).

AA-2 is a full-stress test of NASA's Orion LAS, which includes the Jettison Motor built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The Orion Jettison Motor is used to separate the LAS fr om Orion as it makes its way to space and is the only motor on the escape system to activate in all mission scenarios.

In the unlikely event of an emergency on the launch pad or during ascent, the LAS would activate within milliseconds to whisk Orion and its astronaut crew to safety. Once Orion reaches a safe distance from the rocket, the Orion Jettison Motor would ignite to separate the LAS structure from the spacecraft, which could then deploy its parachutes for a safe landing.

During the AA-2 test, a solid rocket booster will launch a fully functional LAS and an Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet at Mach 1.3 (over 1,000 mph) to test out the functionality of the LAS system prior to flying humans. The Jettison Motor will fire last in the test sequence.

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"Every time our engineers work on products supporting the Orion spacecraft or the Space Launch System rocket, they have astronaut safety front and center of mind," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "The AA-2 test is a critical step to testing the Launch Abort System and our Jettison Motor and ensuring our astronauts always return home safely to their families."

The Orion Jettison Motor, which generates 40,000 pounds of thrust, uses a propellant that is poured into a motor casing, wh ere it cures over a period of several days to form a solid, stable cast that burns in a precisely controlled fashion.

The AA-2 Jettison Motor casting took place at Aerojet Rocketdyne's motor production facility in Sacramento, California. The completed motor will now be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center for integration with the LAS by Lockheed Martin.

"The casting of the Orion Jettison Motor marks a critical step as we prepare for the first integrated flight of SLS and Orion to test the systems that will be used to take astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon and to other exciting destinations," added Drake.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com/) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com/).

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166179.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne technicians inspect the Jettison Motor for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System (LAS) at its facility in Sacramento, Calif.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/166323.jpg)
The Jettison Motor built by Aerojet Rocketdyne for the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System (LAS) that will be tested during the Ascent Abort Test (AA-2) next year.

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ЦитироватьBoeing's Starliner launch abort engine suffers problem during testing
by Jeff Foust (https://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — July 22, 2018

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/191537.jpg)
A launch abort engine, developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, fires during a 2016 test. A static-fire test of the complete launch abort system suffered a propellant leak at the end of the test. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

WASHINGTON — Boeing confirmed July 21 that there was an "anomaly" during a recent test of the launch abort engines for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle that could delay a key milestone needed for the vehicle to be able carry astronauts.

The incident happened during a hot-fire test of the engines used by Starliner's abort system, integrated into a spacecraft service module. The static test, which took place in June at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, was a prelude to a pad abort test of the system planned for later this summer.

"The engines successfully ignited and ran for the full duration," the company said in a statement. "During engine shutdown an anomaly occurred that resulted in a propellant leak."

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Starliner uses a "pusher" escape system, with four launch abort engines mounted on the service module that can propel the spacecraft away from its Atlas 5 launch vehicle in the event of an emergency on the pad or during ascent. The engines, which use hypergolic propellants and generate 40,000 pounds-force of thrust each, are provided by Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Boeing didn't elaborate on the nature of the problem, but other sources, including social media postings several days before the official statement, claimed that a hydrazine valve in the propulsion system failed to close properly at the end of the test, causing the propellant to leak. Boeing didn't issue the statement until after the first published report about the anomaly (https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/boeing-may-have-suffered-a-setback-with-starliners-pad-abort-test/) by Ars Technica.

Aerojet, in an October 2016 release about an earlier set of hot-fire tests of the thruster (http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-successfully-completes-launch-abort-engine-hot-fire-tests-support-next), touted the use of "innovative" valves in the launch abort engines. Those valves, said company president and chief executive Eileen Drake, "demonstrate precise timing, peak thrust control and steady-state thrust necessary during a mission abort."

"We have been conducting a thorough investigation with assistance from our NASA and industry partners," Boeing added in the statement. "We are confident we found the cause and are moving forward with corrective action."

It's unclear what effect this testing problem will have on the development schedule for Starliner, including the uncrewed and crewed orbital test flights of the spacecraft. Boeing said in its statement that it did not have any schedule updates for the test program, including for the pad abort test.

Updates on commercial crew test schedules for both Boeing and SpaceX are expected to be released as soon as next week. An Aug. 3 announcement, possibly featuring Vice President Mike Pence, had been planned for the Kennedy Space Center, timed to a previously scheduled Aug. 4 launch of NASA's Parker Solar Probe spacecraft. That announcement may go ahead even though the launch has been rescheduled for Aug. 6.

Even before this latest incident, the launch dates for both companies' uncrewed and crewed tests were widely expected to slip, perhaps well into 2019. A July 11 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office cited internal NASA estimates that concluded that the companies would not likely win certification for transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station until at least late 2019 or early 2020 (https://spacenews.com/commercial-crew-delays-threaten-access-to-iss-gao-warns/), and possibly not until late 2020.

The Aug. 3 announcement may include the assignment of NASA astronauts to the two companies' crewed test flights. Four NASA astronauts have been preparing for those flights since 2015, but for now have been training on both Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

In an interview last September (https://spacenews.com/crewed-starliner-test-flight-could-slip-to-2019/), Chris Ferguson, a former NASA astronaut who is now director of Starliner crew and mission systems at Boeing, said he expected those assignments to be made for the crewed Starliner test flight about a year before the actual flight.

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ЦитироватьJuly 24, 2018

RS-25 Engine Installed On Stennis Space Center Stand For New Test Series

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207493.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/s18-028_ssc-20180723-s00650_rs-25_engine.jpg)

Aerojet Rocketdyne developmental RS-25 engine No. 0525 is readied for installation on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on July 23 in preparation for another new hotfire series to support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Program. Stennis is testing all RS-25 engines that will help power the SLS rocket, which is being built for missions beyond low-Earth orbit, carrying crew and cargo to the Moon and beyond. Four RS-25 engines, working in conjunction with a pair of solid rocket boosters, will power the SLS rocket at launch. The initial RS-25 engines are former space shuttle main engines, modified to provide the additional thrust needed for the larger, heavier SLS rocket.

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Originally designed more than 40 years ago to provide a specific power level categorized as 100 percent thrust, the RS-25 version of the space shuttle main engine has been upgraded to operate at 111 percent of its original power. NASA has been testing RS-25 modifications and flight engines at Stennis since January 2015 in preparation for the Exploration Mission-1 (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-ins-and-outs-of-nasa-s-first-launch-of-sls-and-orion) (EM-1) and Exploration Mission-2 (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-will-mark-important-step-on-journey-to-mars) (EM-2) flights of SLS. EM-1 will test the capabilities of the new rocket and will carry an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into space beyond the moon. EM-2 will be the first flight to carry humans aboard the Orion spacecraft, returning astronauts to deep space for the first time in more than 40 years.

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The next series of tests at Stennis is scheduled to begin mid-August. For the test, a new flight controller component will be installed on the RS-25 developmental engine and fired just as during an actual launch. The new flight controller is a major part of the RS-25 modifications, operating as the "brain" of the engine to help it communicate with the SLS rocket and to provide precision control of engine operation and internal health diagnostics. A total of 10 hot fires are scheduled for the test series, seven by the end of 2018 and three in the early part of 2019. Each will feature a flight controller that will be used on an actual SLS mission.

Спойлер

Each RS-25 test moves the agency closer and closer to its return to deep space exploration, to such destinations as the Moon and Mars. In addition to testing RS-25 engines and components for SLS flights, Stennis is preparing to test the actual core stage that will be used on the EM-1 mission. NASA has been modifying the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis for the core stage testing. The testing will involve installing the flight stage on the B-2 Test Stand and firing all four of its RS-25 engines simultaneously, as during a launch.

RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services engineers and operators. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the RS-25 prime contractor. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.

Image Credit: NASA

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Last Updated: July 27, 2018
Editor: LaToya Dean

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 53 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1024349566265700353)

FEATURE ARTICLE: Aerojet Rocketdyne progressing towards six-engine RS-25 production run -

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/07/aerojet-rocketdyne-six-engine-rs-25-run/ ... (https://t.co/ocqTagHp81)

- By Philip Sloss

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167002.jpg)

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(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167003.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167004.jpg)
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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 1 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1029434899772727297)

Shuttle-era RS-25 liquid rocket engine resumes production restart development testing. Test T0 (ignition) is 15:20 EDT (1920 UTC) today - subject to change per test condition. NASA Administration @JimBridenstine (https://twitter.com/JimBridenstine) is expected to be in attendance.

ARTICLE:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/08/rs-25-resumes-production-restart-development-testing/ ... (https://t.co/avtSyh0lPO)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167939.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 11 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1029453403095748610)

STATIC FIRE! RS-25 E5025 has ignited on the A-1 test stand at the Stennis Space Center.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167927.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 19 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1029454004198289408)

Do you have an icing problem on your powerhead? Try Ignition! (https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/125484.png)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167924.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167925.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167926.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186343.jpg)Chris G - NSF‏ @ChrisG_NSF (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF) 8 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/ChrisG_NSF/status/1029456839593938944)

If it was an early shutdown, remember: this was a test to root out issues and problems as the RS-25 production restart begins. @NASA (https://twitter.com/NASA) tests extensively - as does @SpaceX (https://twitter.com/SpaceX), @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch), @blueorigin (https://twitter.com/blueorigin), @northropgrumman (https://twitter.com/northropgrumman) - to ensure engine issues don't present in flight.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg)Chris B - NSF‏ @NASASpaceflight (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) 12 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1029456066088710144)

NASA admin talking about this being 500 seconds (and it was supposed to be full duration).....pretty sure it was only about five minutes and shutdown early, we'll check.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167928.jpg)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167930.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185341.jpg)Stennis Space Center‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis) 15 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis/status/1029456143360450560)

Today's RS-25 Engine Test @ NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center has concluded with a duration of 319 seconds. #SLSFiredUp (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLSFiredUp?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167929.jpg)

ЦитироватьSLS RS-25 Engine Test, 14 August 2018

SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

Опубликовано: 14 авг. 2018 г.

NASA conducted a new test of a flight controller installed on the Aerojet Rocketdyne developmental RS-25 rocket engine No. 0525. The 319 seconds hotfire test was conducted on the A-1 Test Stand at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, on 14 August 2018, at 19:41 UTC (14:41 CDT, 15:41 EDT). NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever built, will be powered by four RS-25 engines firing simultaneously.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185942.jpg)Eileen Drake‏ @DrakeEileen (https://twitter.com/DrakeEileen) 13 мин. назад (https://twitter.com/DrakeEileen/status/1029468685625372673)

Awesome to see today at @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis) how the incredible professionalism of @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne)'s people translates to the great power of our #RS25 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/RS25?src=hash) engine on the test stand.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167948.jpg)

ЦитироватьNASA Stennis Live Stream

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Трансляция началась 1 час назад

ЦитироватьNASA says RS-25 engine test a success despite ending early
by Jeff Foust (https://spacenews.com/author/jeff-foust/) — August 15, 2018

(https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/rs25test-aug2018.jpg)
An RS-25 engine performs a static-fire test at NASA's Stennis Space Center Aug. 14. NASA said the test was a success despite ending three minutes early because of a "facility issue." Credit: NASA Stennis

WASHINGTON — NASA says an Aug. 14 test of an engine for the Space Launch System was a success despite an unspecified "facility issue" that caused the test to end early.

The test of the RS-25 engine on the A-1 stand at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi was the first in a new series of static-fire tests of the shuttle-era engine that will be used in the core stage of the SLS. The engine, a developmental unit designated No. 0525, tested a flight controller unit that will be used on flight models of the engine as well as new manufacturing techniques intended to reduce the cost of future engines.

NASA Stennis announced prior to the test that the test would run for eight minutes and 20 seconds. However, in a tweet after the test, Stennis said the test ended after five minutes and 19 seconds.

Спойлер

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185341.jpg)Stennis Space Center‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis) 14 авг. (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis/status/1029449317654953984)

Today's RS-25 Engine Test @ NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center is now targeting a 2:38 p.m. (CDT) start for a scheduled duration of 500 seconds #SLSFiredUp (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLSFiredUp?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167953.jpg)

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/185341.jpg)Stennis Space Center‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASAStennis (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis) 14 авг. (https://twitter.com/NASAStennis/status/1029456143360450560)

Today's RS-25 Engine Test @ NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center has concluded with a duration of 319 seconds. #SLSFiredUp (https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLSFiredUp?src=hash)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/167929.jpg)

[свернуть]

An Aug. 15 statement fr om Stennis about the test made no mention of the planned or actual duration of the test. "All test objectives were met during the hot fire," the center's statement noted.

Stennis spokesperson Valerie Buckingham confirmed Aug. 15 that the test was cut short. "The test ended early due to a facility issue, but all test objectives were met," she said in an emailed response to a SpaceNews inquiry. She later said she didn't know the details about the problem, other than it did not damage the engine itself.

Aerojet Rocketdyne, which manufactures the RS-25, also said the test ended early because of a facility problem, but deferred questions on the issue to NASA Stennis. The company said in a statement that the engine performed as expected.

Among the objectives of the test was to test a new manufacturing approach called hot isostatic pressing for the engine's main combustion chamber that the company says "saves considerable time and money" over conventional techniques. "Initial test data indicates the chamber performed flawlessly during the 319-second test," Aerojet Rocketdyne said.

Спойлер

That technique is being evaluated for use on future versions of the RS-25. The first four SLS missions will use existing engines, originally manufactured for the space shuttle and updated for SLS. Later SLS launches will require new RS-25 engines.

"As we develop a new generation of RS-25 engines, ensuring they continue to remain reliable while reducing costs is a major focus at Aerojet Rocketdyne," said Eileen Drake, chief executive and president of the company. "That's why we're working hard to drive down costs on the RS-25 by incorporating the most modern and efficient manufacturing techniques."

[свернуть]

NASA is planning eight more tests using the same developmental RS-25 engine that will go through early 2019. Later in 2019, another test stand at Stennis will host a "green run" static-fire test of the first SLS core stage, where its four RS-25 engines will fire simultaneously.

Спойлер

Among those attending the test was NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, making his first visit to Stennis since becoming administrator. The visit was part of a series of appearances at NASA facilities in the region that included the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Aug. 13 and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 15.

In a webcast of the launch, Bridenstine didn't appear to be aware that the test had been cut short. "I've seen a lot of launches as a member of Congress before and now as NASA administrator, but the rockets always leave," he said. "In this particular case, the rocket stayed, and it stayed for 500 seconds of just a heart-pounding thrust."

He reiterated the importance of the SLS in carrying out human missions to the moon and beyond despite the vehicle's years of delays. "This is our opportunity to follow through on the president's Space Policy Directive 1, which says that we're going to the moon," he said, saying the SLS fits into a "sustainable" architecture wh ere "we want every piece of this architecture to ultimately be reusable." The SLS is currently an expendable vehicle, including the original shuttle-era RS-25 engines that were designed for reuse.

[свернуть]

ЦитироватьWith debt down and cash up, Aerojet Rocketdyne hunting for acquisitions

by Caleb Henry (https://spacenews.com/author/caleb-henry/) — September 19, 2018


(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/191523.jpg)Eileen Drake, president and CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc, speaking at the 32nd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2016. Credit: SpaceNews/Tom Kimmell



WASHINGTON — Space propulsion and defense company Aerojet Rocketdyne is looking for other companies or product lines to buy as its financial situation improves.
"Our No. 1 priority for capital deployment is [mergers and acquisitions]," Eileen Drake, the company's CEO, said during G.research's Aerospace and Defense Conference Sept. 13, adding that the right opportunities are proving hard to come by.  
"It doesn't necessarily mean buying a company," she said. "It could be buying a product line. It could be buying a portion of a business that fits with us. We want to make sure that it's strategic, that it doesn't distract the team from delivering on the remainder of our competitive improvement program."
Aerojet started its competitive improvement program in 2015 as a response to market pressure from rising new entrants SpaceX and Blue Origin, both of which build their own engines. The goal of the program, first set at $145 million in annual cost reduction by 2019, was raised last year to $230 million in annual savings. Drake said Aerojet Rocketdyne should reach that mark by 2021.
At the same time, Aerojet slashed its debt load from $464.4 million in May 2015 to $102.2 million this June. Drake said Aerojet had about $560 million in cash at the end of June when the company disclosed its quarterly financial results. Aerojet reported a profit of $34.8 million on $467.2 million in revenue during the months of April, May and June.
Drake described last year's $15 million purchase of missile maker Coleman Aerospace from L3 as emblematic of the type of acquisition it would like to make.
"We continue to look for opportunities like that," she said.
Aerojet is also seeking to monetize some 5,600 acres of land, the bulk of which is in Sacramento, California, where the company announced the elimination or relocation of 1,100 jobs last year (https://spacenews.com/aerojet-to-move-rocket-engine-work-out-of-historic-facility/). Drake declined to estimate how much the land is worth.
"It's all [predicated] on the local economy for jobs, for the real estate, the appetite for the builders, for the developers — we consistently work with them on opportunities," she said.
Drake said it was ultimately a good thing that SpaceX and Blue Origine put pressure on Aerojet to be more competitive. While Aerojet does more than space launch — satellite propulsion and missile defense are also business areas — the impact of competition "made us all look at how we can be better and take cost out of our products," she said.
Aerojet this year won contracts to provide its RL10 upper stage engine to Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems for its future OmegA rocket and to United Launch Alliance (ULA) for its future Vulcan rocket. The company remains in competition with Blue Origin to provide Vulcan's first stage engine.
Aerojet is pitching the AR1, a liquid-oxygen and kerosene-fueled engine, while Blue Origin is offering the BE-4, a liquid-oxygen and methane-fueled engine.
"United Launch Alliance continues to say that this is a competition," Drake said. "They have also said that Blue Origin is probably primary. We might be secondary and that's based on a couple of things when it comes to funding, but we feel strong about the AR1."
Drake said Aerojet convinced the U.S. Air Force to fund five-sixths of the cost of AR1 development, up from two-thirds in part because of delays with ULA's downselect.
"The downselect was supposed to happen a year or so ago between us and Blue, and that continues to slip. We still don't have a date for when downselect will be," she said.
If ULA doesn't choose the AR1, other launch vehicles could make use of the engine, she said.
ULA CEO Tory Bruno has for several months described the company's decision as coming "soon." In a Sept. 10 interview with SpaceNews at World Satellite Business Week in Paris, he described the decision as coming "very, very soon."

ЦитироватьThe latest financial release from aerospace manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne reveals that the company spent none of its own money on development of the AR1 rocket engine this spring. Moreover, the quarterly 10-Q filing (http://ir.aerojetrocketdyne.com/static-files/028dd6e5-5cbf-442c-9533-10cb3daf0372) that covers financial data through June 30, 2018 indicates that Aerojet may permanently stop funding the engine with its own money altogether—a sign the company has no immediate customers.

ЦитироватьNot пишет:
Судя по всем АR-1 не жилец.

ЦитироватьThe latest financial release from aerospace manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne reveals that the company spent none of its own money on development of the AR1 rocket engine this spring. Moreover, the quarterly 10-Q filing (http://ir.aerojetrocketdyne.com/static-files/028dd6e5-5cbf-442c-9533-10cb3daf0372) that covers financial data through June 30, 2018 indicates that Aerojet may permanently stop funding the engine with its own money altogether—a sign the company has no immediate customers.

ЦитироватьTest Series on New RS-25 Rocket Engine Components Moving Forward

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Опубликовано: 25 сент. 2018 г.

The third in a series of RS-25 rocket engine hot fire tests for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) Program was conducted September 25 at NASA's Stennis Space Center. The test was another certification of an RS-25 flight controller that helps the engine communicate with the SLS rocket. It also marked the seventh test of a 3D-printed pogo accumulator assembly that helps prevent the rocket from becoming unstable in flight and the third test of a main combustion chamber fabricated using a new money- and time-saving bonding technique.

ЦитироватьNASA Continues Fall Series of RS-25 Engine Tests

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Опубликовано: 11 окт. 2018 г.

A team of operators at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi will conduct a 500-second RS-25 hot fire on the A-1 Test Stand on Oct. 11, marking the fourth in a series that will extend into 2019. Once again, the hot fire features an acceptance test of an RS-25 engine controller for use on a future flight of NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

ЦитироватьNASA Ushers in Autumn with Powerful RS-25 Engine Test for SLS

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Опубликовано: 15 нояб. 2018 г.

On Nov. 15, a team of operators at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi conducted a full-duration, 650-second RS-25 test on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis, the sixth hot fire in an engine test series that began in mid-August. The test marked an acceptance hot fire of another RS-25 engine controller for use on a future flight of NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. In a test for NASA's SLS, operators fired development engine No. 0525 to a 113 percent thrust level for 60 seconds during the test. The new flight controller is the central component of the modification and serves as the RS-25 "brain," helping the engine communicate with the rocket and controlling engine operation and internal health diagnostics.

ЦитироватьOrion Launch Abort System Jettison Motor hot fire test

NASA Langley Research Center (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSv7zzf9wjmqMnk6zzN5gYQ)

Опубликовано: 26 нояб. 2018 г.

A successful hot fire test of the Orion Launch Abort System Jettison Motor was conducted at Redstone Test Facility.

Цитировать(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/829884026/091004-780610_x96.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) · 7 ч (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095797293415051279)

STATIC FIRE! RS-25 0525 fires up at Stennis.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174874.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174875.jpg)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174876.jpg)
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Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/186040.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight) · 7 ч (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095799153802838018)

RS-25 Test Complete! Looked like a good test of Development Engine 0525 per the SLS test series.

ARTICLE:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/02/nasa-stennis-restart-rs-25-testing-abort/... (https://t.co/Fkwo0N40mG?amp=1)
- By Philip Sloss.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174877.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095799153802838018/photo/1)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174878.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095799153802838018/photo/3)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174879.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095799153802838018/photo/2)(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/174880.jpg) (https://mobile.twitter.com/NASASpaceflight/status/1095799153802838018/photo/4)

ЦитироватьNASA Stennis Live Stream

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Трансляция началась 8 часов назад

ЦитироватьNASA Marks RS-25 Testing Milestone for New Space Launch System

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Опубликовано: 28 февр. 2019 г.

On Feb. 28, NASA marked yet another milestone in preparations for the first mission of its new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, conducting an RS-25 engine test at its highest power level. The 510-second test was conducted on the A-1 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center. For the fourth time, NASA powered the engine to 113 percent of its original thrust design, this time for more than 430 seconds, about four times longer than any previous hot fire at that thrust level. This test concluded a series of nine tests that began last August, using RS-25 developmental engine No. 0525, and featured an RS-25 flight engine controller, or "brain" of the engine, that will be used on an SLS mission.

ЦитироватьSLS RS-25 Engine Test, 4 April 2019

SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)

Опубликовано: 4 апр. 2019 г.

An Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 rocket engine was tested on the A-1 Test Stand at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, on 4 April 2019, at 19:35 UTC (14:35 CDT, 15:35 EDT). The test had a duration of 500 seconds.NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will be powered by four RS-25 engines firing simultaneously.

Credit: NASA

ЦитироватьNASA Achieves Testing Milestone with Engines for Initial SLS Missions

NASA Stennis (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMaUeefGqJLtVJxmc81GIQ)

Опубликовано: 4 апр. 2019 г.

NASA conducted a hot fire test of RS-25 flight engine No. 2062 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on April 4, with a full-duration of 500 seconds. The hot fire caps more than four years of testing for engines that will help power the first four missions of NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. All 16 former space shuttle main engines that will help launch the first four SLS missions have undergone acceptance testing and have completed developmental and acceptance testing for new controllers to be used by the engines. It also concludes a 51-month test series that demonstrated RS-25 engines can perform at the higher power level needed to launch the super heavy-lift SLS rocket.

ЦитироватьMay 1, 2020
RELEASE 20-050

NASA Commits to Future Artemis Missions with More SLS Rocket Engines

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/207885.jpg) (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/maf_20191107_engine_section_full_jude-3198_large.jpg)
NASA has awarded a contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California, to manufacture 18 additional Space Launch System (SLS) RS-25 rocket engines to support Artemis missions to the Moon. The four RS-25 engines, shown here, are attached to the SLS core stage that will send the Artemis I mission to the Moon. Currently, the stage is undergoing a series of Green Run tests in a test stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The additional engines will support future SLS flights to deep space.
Credits: NASA/Jude Guidry

NASA has awarded a contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California, to manufacture 18 additional Space Launch System (SLS) RS-25 rocket engines to support Artemis missions to the Moon.

The follow-on contract to produce 18 engines is valued at $1.79 billion. This includes labor to build and test the engines, produce tooling and support SLS flights powered by the engines. This modifies the initial contract awarded in November 2015 to recertify and produce six new RS-25 engines (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_rs25_engine_fs_508.pdf) and brings the total contract value to almost $3.5 billion with a period of performance through Sept. 30, 2029, and a total of 24 engines to support as many as six additional SLS flights.

"This contract allows NASA to work with Aerojet Rocketdyne to build the rocket engines needed for future missions," said John Honeycutt, the SLS program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "The same reliable engines that launched more than 100 space shuttle missions have been modified to be even more powerful to launch the next astronauts who will set foot on the lunar surface during the Artemis missions."

Each SLS rocket uses four RS-25 engines, providing a total of 2 million pounds of thrust to send SLS to space. The SLS rocket leverages the assets, capabilities, and experience of NASA's Space Shuttle Program, using 16 existing RS-25 shuttle engines (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis/news/NASA-Achieves-Rocket-Engine-Test-Milestone-Needed-for-Moon-Missions) for the first four SLS missions. These engines were updated with new controllers – the brains that control the engine – and upgraded and tested to fly at the higher performance level necessary to launch the SLS, which is much larger and more powerful than the shuttle.

The rocket engines are mounted at the base of the 212-foot-tall core stage, which holds more than 700,000 gallons of propellant and provides the flight computers that control the rocket's flight. The engines for the Artemis I mission (https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics/start-your-engines-infographic) to the Moon have already been assembled as part of the core stage, which is undergoing Green Run testing.

"We've already begun production on the first six new RS-25 engines," said Johnny Heflin, the SLS engines manager. "Aerojet Rocketdyne has restarted the production lines, established a supplier base and is building engines using advanced techniques that reduce both the cost and time for manufacturing each engine."

The engines are built at Aerojet Rocketdyne's factory in Canoga Park, California. Working with NASA, Aerojet has implemented a plan to reduce the cost of the engines by as much as 30% by using more advanced manufacturing techniques to modify some of the rocket components. Some of these modified components have already been tested during engine tests that replicate the conditions of flight.The new digital controllers are built by Honeywell Aerospace in Clearwater, Florida,  a major subcontractor to Aerojet Rocketdyne.

The SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway and Human Landing System are part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. Work is well underway on both the Artemis I and II rockets. The Artemis I core stage and its RS-25 engines (https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/first-nasa-artemis-rocket-core-stage-loaded-on-pegasus-barge.html) are in the B-2 test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Here, the stage is undergoing Green Run (https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/what-is-green-run-infographic.html) testing, an integrated test of the entire new stage that culminates with the firing of all four RS-25 engines. Upon completion of the test, NASA's Pegasus barge will take the core stage to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be integrated with other parts of the rocket and Orion for Artemis I.

The Artemis program is the next step in human space exploration. It's part of America's broader Moon to Mars (http://www.nasa.gov/moontomars) exploration approach, in which astronauts will explore the Moon and experience gained there to enable humanity's next giant leap, sending humans to Mars.

-end-

Last Updated: May 1, 2020
Editor: Sean Potter

ЦитироватьLockheed Martin to buy rocket engine-builder Aerojet Rocketdyne
 December 21, 2020 (https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/) Stephen Clark (https://spaceflightnow.com/author/stephen-clark/)

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150085.jpg)
An Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-X prototype engine, which includes 3D-printed core components, undergoes hotfire testing at Aerojet Rocketdyne's facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. defense contractor, announced late Sunday that it has reached a deal valued at $4.4 billion to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne, a supplier of engines to NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket and United Launch Alliance's Atlas, Delta, and Vulcan rockets.
The acquisition is another step in consolidation among U.S. aerospace contractors, following the $9.2 billion purchase of solid rocket builder Orbital ATK by Northrop Grumman in a deal that closed in 2018. The agreement announced Sunday will bring Aerojet Rocketdyne, one of the top U.S. providers of liquid rocket propulsion systems, under the umbrella of Lockheed Martin.
"The acquisition of Aerojet provides an opportunity to fully integrate a key component of our value chain, utilize our combined manufacturing expertise to improve efficiencies and production operations, and ultimately position us to be more competitive for our customers by harnessing the talent and skill of both Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne employees," said Jim Taiclet, CEO of Lockheed Martin.
"We will deliver more innovative and affordable solutions to better meet our customers most challenging areas as a critical partner across our portfolio already, and this helps position us for even greater growth in hypersonics, missile defense, and space, which are key elements of the national defense strategy," Taiclet said in a conference call with investment analysts Monday morning.
Taiclet said the purchase of Aerojet Rocketdyne has "real upside" for Lockheed Martin.
"Having the engineers as part of the same organization as they design integrated propulsion and overall system products, I think, is going to make Lockheed Martin, especially missiles and file control and space, much more effective," Taiclet said. "We'll also be faster to market. We'll be also be more efficient ... in other words less expensive to the end customer to deliver that product."
Aerojet Rocketdyne was formed in 2013 by the merger of GenCorp, parent company of Aerojet, with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.
The Rocketdyne business was established as a unit of North American Aviation in 1955, then became part of Rockwell International and Boeing through a series of defense industry consolidations. Pratt & Whitney bought the Rocketdyne business from Boeing in 2005 and held onto it until the merger with Aerojet in 2013.
Rocketdyne built the powerful F-1 main engines for NASA's Saturn 5 moon rocket and the reusable hydrogen-fueled main engines for the space shuttle. The remaining shuttle main engines, known as RS-25s, are being repurposed for NASA's Space Launch System, a powerful launcher designed to send people back to the moon later this decade.
Aerojet was founded in 1942 and developed engines for the Titan rocket family, the engine for the Apollo service modules that flew to the moon, and orbital maneuvering system engines for the space shuttle.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/150086.jpg)
Four RL10 engines delivered to NASA for use on the Space Launch System upper stage. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

Спойлер

But Aerojet Rocketdyne has been pressured by competition from commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, led by billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets the firm's own engines, and the company's success in reusing rockets has cut costs, allowing SpaceX to take the lion's share of new commercial launch contracts in recent years, and a growing percentage of government launch deals.
Taiclet said Lockheed Martin will fund the acquisition using new debt financing and cash on hand. The deal gives Aerojet Rocketdyne an equity value of $5 billion, but the transaction value will be $4.4 billion after Aerojet Rocketdyne issue a "special dividend" to its shareholders.
"The total consideration to be paid for Aerojet Rocketdyne is approximately 90 million shares, which ... includes their convertible notes, will come to approximately $4.6 billion," said Kenneth Possenriede, Lockheed Martin's chief financial officer. "We will then pay off about $315 million of their term loan debt, and considering their projected cash balance, we see a projected transaction value of approximately $4.4 billion at closing."
Aerojet Rocketdyne's existing propulsion contracts with NASA include refurbishment of existing RS-25 engines for SLS missions, and the production of 24 new RS-25 engines for future SLS flights. NASA is paying Aerojet Rocketdyne nearly $3.5 billion for the manufacturing of the 24 new engines.
The company also builds RL10 upper stage engines used on the Space Launch System and on United Launch Alliance's Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets, along with the the RS-68A first stage engine on the Delta 4. Aerojet Rocketdyne is also a supplier of rocket thrusters and electric propulsion systems used on numerous government and commercial spacecraft, including NASA's Orion crew capsule for lunar missions and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to ferry crews to the International Space Station.
Faced with competition from SpaceX, ULA is developing a next-generation rocket named the Vulcan Centaur, and will retire the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rocket in a few years.
ULA, a 50-50 joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, considered using a new engine from Aerojet Rocketdyne for the first stage of the Vulcan Centaur rocket. But the launch provider ended up selecting the BE-4 reusable methane-fueled engine made by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's space company.
The Vulcan Centaur's strap-on solid rocket boosters will be made by Northrop Grumman, using know-how acquired from Orbital ATK. ULA began flying a version of the new Northrop Grumman booster last month on an Atlas 5 rocket launch, replacing strap-on motors from Aerojet Rocketdyne that launched on previous Atlas 5 rockets.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/145865.jpg)The four RS-25 engines installed on the first SLS core stage. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
Despite the loss of some of its ULA business, Aerojet Rocketdyne's long-term multibillion-dollar contracts to support NASA's Space Launch System and military projects has kept the company profitable.
Aerojet Rocketdyne also makes components for the Pentagon's missile defense programs, and works on hypersonic propulsion for long-range military weapons systems and interceptors.
Lockheed Martin officials said Monday that the company's acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, pending approval from government regulators and by Aerojet Rocketdyne shareholders, is expected to close in the second half of 2021.
Taiclet, Lockheed Martin's chief executive, said there are "operational benefits" to integrating Aerojet Rocketdyne's propulsion systems with programs already in Lockheed Martin's portfolio. Those include improved efficiency, tighter engineering integration, and better production planning, Taiclet said, strengthening Lockheed Martin's capabilities in hypersonic programs, air and missile defense, and space exploration.
"We believe Aerojet Rocketdyne customers will also benefit, with Lockheed Martin providing engineering and manufacturing support to help them become an even better merchant suppler of propulsion products in the defense and space domain," Taiclet said.
Taiclet said one area of savings for Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne customers will come in the elimination of subcontractor fees.
"There's a phenomenon in our industry, fee on fee, meaning if we have a subcontractor, they'll be charging their fee through us, and we'll be charging our fee to the end customer," Taiclet said. "If we can take out one of those fee levels, the overall product will be more affordable to our end customer."
Possenriede said ULA represents about 10% of Aerojet Rocketdyne's sales. Although Lockheed Martin owns 50% of ULA, the company expects to to continue including a fee in its sales of Aerojet Rocketdyne products to ULA, Possenriede said.
"We then would be a supplier to ULA," he said. "We have an equity interest in ULA, but we don't see any reason why we wouldn't continue to put fee. It would still be a competitive price, of course, continue putting fee on our product as we sell into ULA."
"We are pleased to bring together our complementary companies in a transformative transaction that will provide premium cash value for our shareholders and tremendous benefits for our employees, customers and partners," said Eileen Drake, CEO and president of Aerojet Rocketdyne, in a statement.
"Joining Lockheed Martin is a testament to the world-class organization and team we've built and represents a natural next phase of our evolution," Drake said. "As part of Lockheed Martin, we will bring our advanced technologies together with their substantial expertise and resources to accelerate our shared purpose: enabling the defense of our nation and space exploration."

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Цитата: Просто Василий от 15.01.2021 15:35:10Звездец, кому этот ar1 нужен? Он на одну камеру планирует выдавать 2200K тяги?

Цитата: /Иван/ от 13.01.2021 22:10:31The first #AR1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AR1?src=hashtag_click) engine is complete -

Цитата: Дмитрий В. от 15.01.2021 15:50:48

Цитата: Просто Василий от 15.01.2021 15:35:10Звездец, кому этот ar1 нужен? Он на одну камеру планирует выдавать 2200K тяги?

Наприме, тому, кто использует РД-181 ;)

Цитата: Хунвэйбин от 15.01.2021 20:18:14

Цитата: /Иван/ от 13.01.2021 22:10:31The first #AR1 (https://twitter.com/hashtag/AR1?src=hashtag_click) engine is complete -

Этот АR1 cильно похож на НК-33.

Цитата: C-300-2 от 20.01.2021 18:29:00Коллеги, я так понимаю, что Рокитдайн теперь слился с Аэроджетом, да?
Так вот, у меня вопрос. Каковы величины удельного импульса в ССМЕ в вакууме на уровнях тяги 67 и 109%?..
Я рылся в инете, но что-то не нашёл  :'(
Есть характеристики с значениями тяг, оборотов, давлений :( А удельный импульс - только на номинале...

Цитата: C-300-2 от 20.01.2021 18:29:00Коллеги, я так понимаю, что Рокитдайн теперь слился с Аэроджетом, да?

Цитата: C-300-2 от 20.01.2021 18:29:00Коллеги, я так понимаю, что Рокитдайн теперь слился с Аэроджетом, да?

Цитата: /Иван/ от 20.01.2021 20:08:54

Цитата: Старый от 20.01.2021 19:09:05Боинг продал, Аэроджет купил.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is in the process of being acquired by Lockheed Martin.

Цитата: /Иван/ от 20.01.2021 20:18:55А вам не кажется, что выше человек таким образом намекнул, что пора бы поменять название темы?

ЦитироватьТак вот, у меня вопрос. Каковы величины удельного импульса в ССМЕ в вакууме на уровнях тяги 67 и 109%?..

Цитата: Старый от 20.01.2021 19:09:05

Цитата: C-300-2 от 20.01.2021 18:29:00Коллеги, я так понимаю, что Рокитдайн теперь слился с Аэроджетом, да?

Боинг продал, Аэроджет купил.

Цитата: Дмитрий В. от 15.01.2021 20:23:07

Цитата: Дмитрий В. от 15.01.2021 15:50:48

Цитата: Просто Василий от 15.01.2021 15:35:10Звездец, кому этот ar1 нужен? Он на одну камеру планирует выдавать 2200K тяги?

Наприме, тому, кто использует РД-181 ;)

Ах, да! И ещё - Firefly Aerospace (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_Aerospace)

Цитата: Искандер от 21.01.2021 06:39:53Существует стремящаяся к нулю вероятность использования АР-1 на последних Атласах, если вдруг что пойдёт с Вулканом не так.

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:35:03Ну что, коллеги, где же посмотреть величину удельного импульса ССМЕ в вакууме при дросселировании до 67%?..  

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:39:34А в вакууме она наверно не меняется?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/undecided.png)

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:42:51Чем меньше давление в КС, тем активнее идут реакции диссоциации.

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:46:02А разве не "меньше давление>меньше температура>меньше диссоциация"?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/rolleyes.png)

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:42:51Они забирают на себя энергию, которая пошла бы на разгон газа.

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:47:18А как из "давление меньше" следует "температура меньше"?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/shocked.png)

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:49:58А уже после критического сечения сопла рекомбинация не происходит?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/rolleyes.png) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/undecided.png) 

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:49:58И у диссоциированного газа молекулярная масса не уменьшается что приводит к росту УИ?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/rolleyes.png) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/undecided.png)

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:53:22Старый, а ты как объяснишь снижение И.уд.вак. у РД-191 на режиме дросселирования? Какие есть мысли, соображения.

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:51:16Не знаю. Но вроде в двигателях замкнутой схемы температура выше? Нет?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/rolleyes.png) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/undecided.png)

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 11:00:38Хрен его знает... Может увеличение относительного расхода горючего на завесу?

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 10:53:22Старый, а ты как объяснишь снижение И.уд.вак. у РД-191 на режиме дросселирования? Какие есть мысли, соображения.

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 11:24:31Немного подумав наверно при снижении перепада давления на форсунках ухудшается распыление и смесеобразование.

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 11:23:02Хотя немного подумав наверно с уменьшением давления уменьшается и потребность в завесном охлаждении. А так как регулятора расхода на завесу нет то при понижении давления и расход уменьшается естественным путём.

Цитата: C-300-2 от 21.01.2021 11:35:20Тут думать надо... Давление на входе в тракт охлаждения снижается, но снижается и давление в КС. А расход пропорционален именно корню квадратному из перепада давлений. Так что может там перепад и сохраняется?..

Цитата: Старый от 21.01.2021 10:49:58А уже после критического сечения сопла рекомбинация не происходит?  (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/rolleyes.png) (https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/Smileys/fugue/undecided.png) 

Цитата: C-300-2 от 25.01.2021 18:49:12Учебник Феодосьева учит, что для того, чтобы рабочее тело ускорялось на сверхзвуковом участке сопла, от него тепло надо наоборот отводить.

Цитироватьhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qKocqnf7VQ 1:27
The First ESR-73 Hot Fire Test
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/220832.jpg)  SciNews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjU6ZwoTQtKWfz1urL7XcbA)
Aerojet Rocketdyne performed the first hot fire test of its ESR-73 solid rocket motor, at the company's Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) facility in Camden, Arkansas. According to Aerojet Rocketdyne, eSR-73 is ~132 cm (52 inches) in diameter and weighs roughly 3538 kg (7,800 pounds), being designed as "an upper stage that can function as a second or third stage for a variety of large solid rocket motor applications".
Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

ЦитироватьFederal Trade Commission blocks Lockheed Martin's acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne
by Sandra Erwin (https://spacenews.com/author/sandra-erwin/) — January 25, 2022
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/191700.jpg)Aerojet Rocketdyne, a rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer, is headquartered in Sacramento, California. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne

FTC statement: 'Lockheed will use its control of Aerojet to harm rival defense contractors and further consolidate multiple markets critical to national security and defense'
WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin's proposed $4.4 billion acquisition of rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne has been blocked by the Federal Trade Commission, the agency announced Jan. 25. 
Lockheed Martin in December 2020 announced its intent to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne, the last independent U.S. supplier of missile propulsion systems. The FTC said it will sue to block the deal, arguing that if the acquisition is allowed to proceed, "Lockheed will use its control of Aerojet to harm rival defense contractors and further consolidate multiple markets critical to national security and defense."
Aerojet supplies power, propulsion and armament systems used in missiles made by Lockheed and other defense prime contractors.
"Without competitive pressure, Lockheed can jack up the price the U.S. government has to pay, while delivering lower quality and less innovation. We cannot afford to allow further concentration in markets critical to our national security and defense," FTC Bureau of Competition Director Holly Vedova said in a statement.
The FTC also stated that the acquisition of Aerojet would "give Lockheed the ability and incentive to deny, limit, or otherwise disadvantage competitors' access to critical propulsion inputs for various weapons systems. The combined firm could disadvantage rivals by affecting the price or quality of the product, the quality of the engineering support, and the schedule and contract terms for developing and supplying it or otherwise disadvantage its rivals."
As a subcontractor, Aerojet has had access to prime contractors' sensitive information about their products and business strategies. The FTC alleges that post-acquisition, "Lockheed would have an incentive to exploit its access to its rivals' proprietary information to gain an advantage in competitions against them."
As an independent supplier, Aerojet has the incentive to allocate its research and development funds based on the potential return the funds would generate regardless of which prime contractor it is supporting, said the FTC.  "The combined firm would be incentivized to allocate Aerojet investment dollars for the combined firm's benefit alone, which would stifle innovation."
Over the past year, Lockheed Martin has argued that the merger should follow the same template as Northrop Grumman's acquisition in 2018 of solid rocket motors manufacturer Orbital ATK. The Northrop-Orbital deal (https://spacenews.com/acquisition-of-orbital-atk-approved-company-renamed-northrop-grumman-innovation-systems/) was approved by regulators on condition that the company agreed to supply motors to its competitors. 
"The FTC during the Biden administration has taken a different view on market concentration and vertical integration than the last one, which approved the Northrop Grumman-Orbital ATK deal," noted industry analyst Byron Callan, of Capital Alpha Partners.
Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet during a fourth quarter earnings call Jan. 25 said the company "will review the lawsuit and evaluate all of our options." The company can choose to challenge the FTC or terminate the merger agreement. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Lockheed has 30 days to make that decision.

Цитировать(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/46613.jpg)
Aerojet Rocketdyne @AerojetRdyne

Good news! @ulalaunch (https://twitter.com/ulalaunch) recently awarded  @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) the largest RL10 engine contract ever to provide 116 RL10C-X engines for its #VulcanRocket (https://twitter.com/hashtag/VulcanRocket?src=hashtag_click)! The RL10C-X leverages 3D printing to make this highly-efficient & reliable engine more affordable than ever >> https://okt.to/Mq8mvT (https://t.co/18FFGw41yG)
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/184381.png)
4:34 PM · 11 апр. 2022 г. (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne/status/1513510693802110981)·Oktopost (https://help.twitter.com/using-twitter/how-to-tweet#source-labels)

ЦитироватьAerojet Rocketdyne Secures its Largest RL10 Engine Contract from United Launch Alliance

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 11, 2022 – United Launch Alliance (ULA) recently awarded the largest RL10 contract ever to Aerojet Rocketdyne to deliver 116 RL10C-X engines for its Vulcan Centaur rocket. The new engines will support ULA as it works to fulfill its commitments under a contract they recently received from Amazon, as part of the largest commercial launch contract in history, to support the launch of its Kuiper satellite constellation.
"The RL10 engine is the nation's premier upper-stage engine and a true workhorse in the industry," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen P. Drake. "With the RL10C-X, we've leveraged our industry-leading 3D-printing technology to significantly reduce the cost of the engine while at the same time increasing its performance to provide our customer with enhanced mission capability."
The RL10C-X uses a 3D-printed main injector and main combustion chamber, as well as a 94-inch monolithic lightweight composite (carbon-carbon) nozzle. The specific impulse, or Isp, of the RL10C-X is 461 seconds, which puts it near the very top of the RL10 engine family in terms of performance. Similar to gas mileage in a car, specific impulse measures the amount of thrust generated by a rocket engine per unit of propellant consumed per second.
"The RL10 is the highest performance upper-stage rocket engine flying today," said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno. "We're proud to be launching the Kuiper constellation with the next generation of this incredibly reliable and high-performance engine."
The RL10C-X engine is designed, fabricated, assembled and tested at Aerojet Rocketdyne's facility located in West Palm Beach, Florida. Well over 500 RL10 engines have flown in space during nearly six decades of operation. The RL10 engine currently powers the upper stages of ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles, and will soon begin supporting ULA's Vulcan Centaur and NASA's Space Launch System.
About Aerojet Rocketdyne:
Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of domestic and international customers. For more information, visit www.Rocket.com (http://www.rocket.com/) and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com (http://www.aerojetrocketdyne.com/). Follow Aerojet Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at @AerojetRdyne (https://twitter.com/AerojetRdyne) and @DrakeEileen (https://twitter.com/DrakeEileen).