Aerojet played a key role in the successful launch of United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-P (GOES-P) satellite built by Boeing for this NASA and NOAA cooperative mission. Aerojet provided reaction control thrusters for the Delta IV upper stage, as well as a bipropellant chemical propulsion engine for the GOES-P satellite.

Twelve Aerojet MR-106 5-lbf thrust class monopropellant thrusters on the Delta IV upper stage provided roll, pitch and yaw control as well as settling burns for the upper stage main engine.

Aerojet also provided the GOES-P satellite with a 100 lbf bipropellant apogee engine that will be used for circularizing the satellite's orbit after the Delta IV places it into an elliptical transfer orbit.

The primary mission of the GOES-P satellite is the real-time relay of environmental and meteorological data, which will allow for improved severe storm prediction capabilities. The Earth-observing satellite will also provide an Earth-monitoring capability that may be used to assist with "search and rescue" operations.

"Aerojet has provided 100-percent mission success for the reaction control systems on all Delta IV launches, and we are excited to continue our track record of success with the GOES-P launch," said Aerojet Redmond Operations General Manager, Dr. Roger Myers.

"We have also provided the majority of the satellite propulsion for NASA missions going back to Voyager, Viking and Apollo, and we look forward to another successful mission with GOES-P."

Aerojet's Redmond, Washington, team manufactured the reaction control thrusters for ULA, and the apogee engine was designed, produced and tested for The Boeing Company.