Новости Aerojet Rocketdyne

[Salo]

http://ria.ru/space/20151124/1327265798.html

Aerojet 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.

[Apollo13]

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

Salo пишет:
заказ на двигатели для шести запусков.

1116 / 24 = 46,5

[Salo]

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

[Apollo13]

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

Не уверен. Думаю те 16 б/у уже оплачены другим контрактом.

[Salo]

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/11/27/aerojet-rocketdyne-wins-propulsion-contracts-worth-nearly-1-4-billion/

Aerojet Rocketdyne wins propulsion contracts worth nearly $1.4 billion       
Posted on November 27, 2015 by Stephen Clark

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."

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.

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."

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.

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]

[Salo]

AJRD запустил рекламную кампанию AR1:
http://www.launchar1.com/

When 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

.

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/DrakeEileen/status/673953798193213440

Eileen Drake ‏@DrakeEileen  
Congrats to @ULALaunch @OrbitalATK @AerojetRdyne who helped propel historic #Atlas V #Cygnus cargo launch to #ISS with 466th #RL10 engine
  11:54 - 7 дек. 2015 г.  

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/aerojet-rocketdyne-finishes-design-review-on-proposed-rd-180-replacement/

Aerojet Rocketdyne Finishes Design Review on Proposed RD-180 Replacement
by Mike Gruss — December 17, 2015

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.

[Seerndv]

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.

- оч интересно, это будет полностью функционирующая модель, как у Безоса его sbscale модель BE-4? :oops:

[Salo]

Это модель на данном фото и не более того.

[Seerndv]

Ну мало ли ... кое-что же гоняли:

NASA 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 have signed a Space Act Agreement (SAA ) 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 is being developed for possible use on United Launch Alliance's (ULA ) 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.

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.
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/





 

[Salo]

http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-selected-nasa-mature-development-1-newton-gr-1-thruster-uses-green

Aerojet 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.

[Salo]

http://www.rocket.com/article/european-space-propulsion-completes-testing-five-kilowatt-hall-thruster-thales-alenia-space

European 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.

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.

[Salo]

http://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-awards-more-rocket-research-contracts/

U.S. Air Force Awards More Rocket Research Contracts
by 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.

[silentpom]

Нортропу дали деньги на новый двигатель или на  experimental rocketplane? Было бы смешно, если бы они  TRW 107 возродили

[Salo]

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2016/01/nasa-defends-restart-rs-25-production/

[Salo]

https://twitter.com/Gruss_SN/status/686975911992807424

Mike Gruss ‏@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.  

[triage]

 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]

[Seerndv]

Роскосмос попутал или Аэроджет?
http://www.federalspace.ru/2115/
НК-33/АJ26

Давление в камере, кгс/см2  167

AJ26

http://www.rocket.com/aj26

Engine Chamber Pressure,  psia  2278

Переводим:

160,160 кгс/см2

- и какое было в финальном полёте "Антареса"?

[triage]

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

 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
 
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.
 
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]