Новости Aerojet Rocketdyne

[Apollo13]

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

Да и в любом случае у SpaceX и BO не керосин.

[Salo]

NASA_SLS‏Подлинная учетная запись @NASA_SLS
Congrats on a great test! @AerojetRdyne #RS25 engine test goes full duration, 500 seconds @NASAStennis! #NASASLS @NASA
 

[Salo]

Live 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.

[Apollo13]

http://spaceref.biz/company/aerojet-rocketdyne-tests-full-scale-rl10-3-d-prine-copper-thrust-chamber-assembly.html

Aerojet 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
• 0 Comments
  

©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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[Salo]

http://ir.aerojetrocketdyne.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1020795

Apr 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 and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

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.

[tnt22]

Megs‏ @megsylhydrazine 7 мая

ICYMI: Successful test of @AerojetRdyne AR1 Engine Preburner (printed w Mondaloy, a nickel-based alloy) @NASAStennis http://www.rocket.com/article/successful-testing-full-scale-preburner-keeps-ar1-engine-schedule-2019 ...

http://www.rocket.com/article/successful-testing-full-scale-preburner-keeps-ar1-engine-schedule-2019

Successful 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 and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.


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

[свернуть]

[tnt22]

Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 13 ч. назад

Aerojet Rocketdyne Increases Thrust Level of 3-D Printed Bantam Rocket Engine by 500 Percent http://bit.ly/2qKScbq 

http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/05/15/985161/0/en/Aerojet-Rocketdyne-Increases-Thrust-Level-of-3-D-Printed-Bantam-Rocket-Engine-by-500-Percent.html

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
 
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), 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 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

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 and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

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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[Salo]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/05/19/ar1-engine-clears-milestone-in-step-toward-ending-u-s-reliance-on-russian-propulsion/

AR1 engine clears milestone in step toward ending U.S. reliance on Russian propulsion
 May 19, 2017 Stephen Clark
 
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."
 
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."

[Искандер]

Если вояки упрутся, то никуда ULA не денется, будут делать керосиновый вариант Вулкана или назовут носитель Атлас-6. Тем более что это самый простой путь. ULA полностью зависит от госзаказов, а военное лобби чрезвычайно сильно, особенно с учетом прихода республиканцев. Мои фантазии по поводу возможности реализации двух Вулканов пока ещё сохраняют шанс.

[tnt22]

Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 17 ч. назад

Have you seen the mighty RS-25 @ #NASAinthePark yet? #GoForMars #SLSFiredUp

[tnt22]

Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 6 июл.

AR Successfully Tests Advanced Electric Propulsion System to Further Nation's Space Capabilities http://bit.ly/2tWwbYE  Pic: @NASA #SEP

http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-successfully-tests-advanced-electric-propulsion-system-further-nations

Aerojet 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 and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.

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Aerojet Rocketdyne‏ @AerojetRdyne 18 ч. назад

What's the perfect mid-week pick-me-up? An #AR1 preburner test @NASAStennis! Always a great day when you're testing. #ReadyFor2019

Video

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AR1 Preburner Test

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Опубликовано: 21 июл. 2017 г.

AR1 preburner testing at NASA's Stennis Space Center

(0:31)

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RS-68A ASSEMBLY AND TEST

Aerojet Rocketdyne

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.

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http://spacenews.com/ar1-rocket-rd-costs-reach-288-4-million/

AR1 rocket R&D costs reach $228 million
by Michael 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.

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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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https://www.spaceintelreport.com/aerojet-rocketdyne-spacex-blue-origin-pension-plans/

Aerojet Rocketdyne: Do SpaceX and Blue Origin have pension plans?                   
 by Peter B. de Selding | Sep 1, 2017

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.

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."

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Mary Scott Hunter‏ @MaryScottHunter 9 ч. назад

Eileen Drake, President of @AerojetRdyne announcing defense business unit relocation to the Rocket City! 700 new jobs! @MadeinAL


Tommy Battle‏ @TommyBattle 9 ч. назад

Excited to break ground on @AerojetRdyne's new Huntsville facility. Recruiting jobs has been and will continue to be a priority for me.

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http://www.rocket.com/article/aerojet-rocketdyne-breaks-ground-new-era-advanced-manufacturing-huntsville

Aerojet 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.

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"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 and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.


Aerojet Rocketdyne's Advanced Manufacturing Facility to be located in Huntsville, Alabama

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After 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 - 12/2/2017, 12:45 AM
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/12/after-37-years-voyager-has-fired-up-its-trajectory-thrusters/

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.

- "Да ... умели раньше вещи делать!" (С)

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http://tass.ru/kosmos/4779790

NASA 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
 
 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.
Посмотреть изображение в Твиттере

NASA  ✔ @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.