. 24/7 Space News .
ROCKET SCIENCE
Aerojet Rocketdyne to provide ULA's Vulcan Centaur Key Propulsion for future Air Force Launch Services
by Staff Writers
El Segundo CA (SPX) Aug 12, 2020

file illustration

The U.S. Air Force selected United Launch Alliance (ULA) as one of two launch service providers under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement (LSP).

Aerojet Rocketdyne will provide two RL10 rocket engines to power the upper stage of ULA's Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, as well as the thrusters that control the stage while in flight and the composite overwrapped pressure vessels that store gases required for operation of the launch vehicle.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne congratulates ULA on its selection and we look forward to providing our highly reliable RL10 engine on the Vulcan," said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne has supported the nation's most important national security space missions for decades. We will now bring the RL10 engine's tremendous record of mission success to support the next generation of American National Security Space Launch missions.

Under the LSP contract, ULA will support approximately 60% of missions starting in 2022 and continuing through the next five years.

The RL10 engine's outstanding performance and reliability has made it the upper-stage engine of choice for the nation. Built in West Palm Beach, Florida, the RL10 engine is currently used to power the upper stages of ULA's Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, and has supported earlier versions of those vehicles dating back to the early 1960s.

The flight-proven RL10 engine provided the upper-stage propulsion to place hundreds of military, civil and commercial satellites into orbit and has sent spacecraft on their journeys to explore every planet in our solar system.

The RL10 engine has been continuously upgraded throughout its service life with recent efforts focused on incorporating additive manufacturing to enhance affordability while maintaining its unequaled performance.

"With 500 engines flown in space, the RL10 has an unmatched reputation worldwide," added Drake. "We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with ULA as we provide an advanced RL10 engine for Vulcan."

The Vulcan's Centaur upper stage will also include 12 Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-107 thrusters, built in Redmond, Washington, that are used to control vehicle orientation and trajectory during the latter stages of the launch sequence.

ARDE, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, will also build the composite overwrapped pressure vessels that support operation of the launch vehicle.


Related Links
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


ROCKET SCIENCE
New footage of US hypersonic glide body impacting target unveiled by the Army
Washington DC (Sputnik) Aug 07, 2020
On 19 March, the United States successfully tested a common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The test, according to the Pentagon, marked a "major milestone" in the US path to acquiring hypersonic weaponry. The US Army has unveiled a new video of a March common hypersonic glide body (C-HGB) test in Hawaii. The new footage, presented at the annual Space and Missile Defence (SMD) Symposium, shows the moment the projectile hits its designated target in flight. It is not ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

ROCKET SCIENCE
A QandA on the Demo-2 mission

Power, bones, bubbles and other Weightless action on the Space Station

Roscosmos teases names of next year's ISS tourist group flight

Richard Branson space-bound in early 2021 says Virgin Galactic

ROCKET SCIENCE
Russia wants to return to Venus, build reusable rocket

NASA completes crucial test of moon rocket's propulsion system

ABL Space Systems begins RS1 stage testing and reaches $90mm in funding

New footage of US hypersonic glide body impacting target unveiled by the Army

ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA scientists leverage carbon-measuring instrument for Mars studies

Rice researchers use InSight for deep Mars measurements

NASA's MAVEN observes Martian night sky pulsing in ultraviolet light

Lava tubes on Mars and the Moon are so wide they can host planetary bases

ROCKET SCIENCE
China seeks payload ideas for mission to moon, asteroid

China marching to Mars for humanity's better shared future

From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space

Tianwen 1 probe to soon blast off for Mars

ROCKET SCIENCE
Exolaunch awarded contracts to deliver Swarm Satellites into orbit on Falcon 9

SES selects SpaceX for launch of new C-Band satellites

SES selects ULA to launch two C-Band satellites to accelerate C-Band clearing

Hisdesat And XTAR Complete Transaction For XTAR-EUR Satellite

ROCKET SCIENCE
First laser detection of space debris in daylight

Scientists find way to track space junk in daylight

Transforming e-waste into a strong, protective coating for metal

Return of the LIDAR

ROCKET SCIENCE
Hubble uses Earth as a Proxy for identifying oxygen on exoplanets

VLBA finds planet orbiting small, cool star

Surprisingly dense exoplanet challenges planet formation theories

Deep sea microbes dormant for 100 million years are hungry and ready to multiply

ROCKET SCIENCE
Ammonia sparks unexpected, exotic lightning on Jupiter

Shallow Lightning and Mushballs reveal ammonia to Juno scientists

NASA's Webb Telescope Will Study Jupiter, Its Rings, and Two Intriguing Moons

NASA Juno takes first images of Ganymede's North Pole









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.