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Alliant Techsystems (ATK) said the successful launch on May 18 of a Boeing Delta II vehicle carrying a U.S. government advanced demonstration technology satellite marks the first time a space launch mission has been supported by both ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company rocket motors and motors manufactured by ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company since Thiokol was acquired by ATK in April 2001. Nine GEM-40 strap-on motors manufactured by ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, Magna, Utah, provided the first-stage boost for the Boeing Delta II, which placed into orbit the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Geosynchronous Lightweight Technology Experiment (GeoLITE) satellite. Six of the boosters ignited at lift-off and provided vehicle thrust along with the main engine for approximately 63 seconds. Shortly after their burnout, the remaining three boosters ignited and burned for approximately 66 seconds. The spent GEM-40 motors were then jettisoned from the vehicle in sets of three at one-second intervals after air-lit ignition. After the liquid second-stage burnout and separation and approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the Thiokol STAR 48B rocket motor ignited and burned for 83 seconds, providing the necessary impulse to deliver the GeoLITE satellite into its intended orbit. Once the STAR? 48B motor completed burn, an upper stage mechanism was initiated to reduce satellite spin rate prior to final stage separation. The Thiokol STAR 48B motor is manufactured at the former Thiokol facility in Elkton, Md., now part of ATK Missile Products Company, Rocket Center, W. Va., which will continue to market the STAR motor family and integrated STAR stages under the Thiokol name. ATK Aerospace Propulsion Company, ATK Missile Products Company, and ATK Thiokol Propulsion Company, Brigham City, Utah, are operating units within ATK's Aerospace Group. "Last Friday's successful Delta II launch illustrates the expanded solid propulsion capabilities of the new ATK Aerospace Group," said Paul Ross, senior group vice president, Aerospace. "With the addition of Thiokol's programs and technologies to our portfolio, we are the aerospace industry's leading supplier of high-quality propulsion products." The GeoLITE satellite is an advanced technology demonstration satellite with a laser communications experiment and an operational, ultrahigh frequency communications system. Related Links ATK Delta at Boeing SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
ATK Completes Static Tests of Nozzle For RS-68 Engine
Minneapolis, May 15, 2001ATK has successfully tested a new rocket nozzle for Boeing's RS-68 engine. The tests culminated with a 303-second firing at mixed power levels and a 300-second test at full power for 20 percent longer than is required during flight. |
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