SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp
(NYSE: GY) company, successfully completed a hot-fire testing program of
the Orion crew module 120-pound thrust mono-propellant engine to
demonstrate operation at expected Orion flight conditions. Because this
thruster was designed to operate in space, there was concern that
performance would be significantly degraded as the thruster operated in an
atmospheric environment as the crew module returned to earth. This
sea-level test program included thermal cycle testing, with more than 20
thermal cycles and over 450 pulses as well as two mission duty cycle
demonstrations. The test results indicate that the MR-104G will meet the
required Orion operating conditions and is an important step in elimination
of this risk. "A key tenet of the Constellation program is to identify and
eliminate risk as early as possible. This testing validates the selection
of Aerojet's MR-104G engine for the Orion program," said Julie Van Kleeck,
vice president of Space Systems.
Aerojet will be providing propulsion for NASA's Orion Crew Module as
well as all engines aboard the Orion Service Module to prime contractor
Lockheed Martin. The current Orion Crew Module flight configuration
includes 12 MR-104G engines operating at 120 pounds thrust. The MR-104G
engine family originally provided in-space propulsion for the Voyager 1 and
2 and Magellan missions. Subsequent MR-104G variants provided propulsion
for Landsat and NOAA satellites as well as other U.S. government programs.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally
serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets.
GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense
products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities
related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real
estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be
obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com and
http://www.GenCorp.com.
SOURCE Aerojet
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Related links:
http://www.aerojet.com
http://www.GenCorp.com
CONTACT:
Glenn Mahone, +1-202-302-9941,
Glenn.Mahone@Aerojet.com, or Kristin Conner, +1-916-355-2143,
Kristin.Conner@Aerojet.com, both of Aerojet; or Linda Cutler of
GenCorp, +1-916-351-8650, Linda.Cutler@GenCorp.com
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