Aerojet Rocketdyne has received a potential $67 million contract to develop an electric propulsion system for integration with NASA’s Solar Electric Propulsion space vehicles. The company said Thursday the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract was awarded under the Advanced Electric Propulsion System program and covers development and qualification work on five 12.5-kilowatt Hall thruster subsystems for the Solar Electric […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has received a more than $6.5 million contract to mature a high-power electric propulsion system for NASA‘s advanced exploration systems division. The company Aerojet Rocketdyne said Monday it will work with the University of Michigan, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Silicon Turnkey Solutions to develop a 100-kilowatt hall thruster system, components of a 100-kilowatt […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA have forged a public-private partnership to further the development of the space agency’s monopropellant thruster prior to the technology’s transition to commercial production. The 1-Newton GR-1 monopropellant thruster uses a green propellant called AF-M315E, and Aerojet will work to mature the system design for commercial and government clients, the company said […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has used 3-D printing technology to produce 12 nozzle extensions for installation onboard the Orion spacecraft’s crew module reaction control system. “These components are the first additively manufactured parts we have provided for the Orion spacecraft,” Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of advanced space and launch programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said in a […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed the critical design review on the Orion spacecraft’s jettison motor and crew module reaction control system. Aerojet Rocketdyne will kick off the production of hardware for installation into the Orion spacecraft in preparation for the Exploration Mission-1, the company said Friday. “Astronaut safety is paramount and the jettison motor and the […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has concluded the duration test for the rocket engine designed to power NASA‘s Space Launch System. The company performed the test on the RS-25 rocket engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, Aerojet Rocketdyne said Thursday. “It is great to see this revered engine back in action and progressing full steam ahead for launch aboard […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed testing of a propulsion system prototype that intends to improve the delivery of solar array-derived power to the electric propulsion thruster components on board a spacecraft. The company said Thursday the PowerTrain Solar Electric Propulsion platform has a power tracking tool and power conditioning breadboard components and is designed to work […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA for the testing of a rocket engine that Aerojet intends to offer as a replacement for the RD-180 engine produced by Russia. NASA will configure a test stand at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi to facilitate staged combustion trials on Aerojet Rocketdyne’s […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been selected to complete development work for NASA’s gridded ion thruster system under a nearly $18 million contract with Glenn Research Center. The company will carry out the task on the Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-Commercial system and power processing units designed to pump solar power into each of the thruster’s components, Aerojet Rocketdyne said […] More

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 […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne and aerospace engineering firm Dynetics have expanded their partnership to develop rocket propulsion and booster systems for government and commercial aerospace customers. The companies have worked together under NASA‘s Space Launch System program with the goal of minimizing risks for launch vehicle thrusters, Aerojet Rocketdyne said Monday. NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Dynetics also […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed a series of hot-fire tests on a power processing unit for an electric propulsion system that the company currently developed for NASA. The company said Thursday it tested the Advanced Electric Propulsion System‘s power processing unit at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, together with the agency’s technology development unit thruster and a xenon flow […] More