Orbital and Aerojet Start Testing for New Rocket Engine

Space tech companies Orbital and Aerojet are launching a three-month ground test of a rocket engine designed to power the launch of Orbital’s Taurus II rocket to re-supply the International Space Station with essential cargo.

By Avery Fellow | March 4, 2010

Dulles, Va.-based space tech company Orbital Sciences Corp. is sending a new rocket engine for evaluation to a NASA testing ground to prepare for its March 2011 demonstration launch of a rocket designed to re-supply the International Space Station.

The AJ26 rocket engine, developed by Orbital partner Aerojet, an aerospace and defense company, is a liquid-fueled rocket engine that will launch Orbital’s Taurus II spacecraft, currently in development. The engine would power the first stage of Taurus II’s launch. The AJ26 is the first oxidizer-rich, staged-combustion, oxygen kerosene engine in the world, representing a ten-year and $1.3 billion product design stage. The engine was originally designed to power a moon rocket for Russia.

Orbital partnered with Aerojet to initiate testing of the AJ26 "pathfinder" engine at NASA's Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi.

"We have worked with NASA’s Stennis staff and our Aerojet partner to develop and install facility upgrades to accommodate our particular needs," said J.R. Thompson, Orbital’s President and COO. "Each of the AJ26 engines that will be used aboard our Taurus II rocket will come through the Stennis facility for pre-launch acceptance testing prior to being integrated with the rocket."

Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of space programs at Aerojet, said, "Aerojet is proud to be taking this important step toward the first flight of Orbital’s Taurus II rocket. We understand the importance of the commercial launch industry and are proud to be a part of it."

Once the engines complete testing at the center, they will be installed in the Taurus II rockets.

The Taurus II is designed to launch cargo into low Earth orbit. The March 2011 flight will demonstrate the rocket’s capability to send supplies to the International Space Station. The launch is part of a partnership with NASA called the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project.

Orbital signed a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to deliver cargo to the space station from 2011 through 2015 over eight missions utilizing the Taurus II rocket. The company also plans to market the rocket for U.S. government and military clients who want to launch medium-class scientific and national security satellites.

Hot fire tests for the AJ26 engine are scheduled to start in April.



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