Jay Clemens
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed another milestone in the company’s AR1 rocket engine development program following completion of preburner tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
The tests aimed to verify design parameters of the preburner injector built for Aerojet Rocketdyne’s new engine technology, the company said Friday.
Aerojet Rocketdyne announced its milestone plan for AR1 engine in 2014 and the latest testing continues previous preburner tests that occurred at the space agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center and at a company facility in Sacramento, California.
“We remain laser focused on the delivery of an AR1 engine in 2019,†said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.
The company won a $115.3 million “other transaction” agreement from the U.S. Air Force in late February to further develop AR1 as a potential domestic alternative for the Russian RD-180 rocket engine.
