Anna Forrester
Aerojet Rocketdyne has secured a three-year contract to help the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force conduct research and development work on sustainable propulsion technology for rockets, missiles, and divert and attitude control systems.
The company said Tuesday it will work with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Army Medical Command, and Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center to develop and test “green” gas generators and monopropellants.
“[We] are looking forward to helping develop the next generation of advanced green propellants,” said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s space advanced programs, noting that the enhancements are intended to address future systems’ capabilities and safety.
The program, which is funded by the Defense Department‘s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, includes small-scale propellant testing and subscale thruster testing.
Aerojet Rocketdyne said the resulting propellants from this contract aim to provide alternative options for NASA‘s Green Propellant Infusion Mission, which will use the Air Force’s AF-M315E propellant when it launches next year.
