Aerojet Rocketdyne Gears Up for Next ULA Delta IV Heavy Mission
December 06 2018 - 5:39PM
Following the successful launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe aboard
a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket earlier this
year, engine provider Aerojet Rocketdyne is gearing up for the next
scheduled mission of the launch vehicle.
On Dec. 7, a Delta IV Heavy is slated to launch a
classified national security payload for the U.S. National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California. Aerojet Rocketdyne supplies the main and upper-stage
engines, as well as pressure tanks, for the mighty
Delta IV.
The upcoming NRO mission marks the tenth operational launch of
the Delta IV Heavy, and the 38th overall for the Delta IV
family, which debuted in 2002. The nine previous missions flown in
this launch vehicle configuration have all been successful.
“While the Delta IV’s excellent track record might give the
appearance that space launch is routine, the truth is that ensuring
mission success requires diligence and vigilance on the part of
everyone involved,” said Eileen Drake, CEO and president of Aerojet
Rocketdyne. “Our engines are the centerpiece of the Delta IV
Heavy, the only launch vehicle that has successfully delivered the
heaviest payloads to orbit for the Defense Department.”
In its Heavy configuration, the Delta IV features three
side-by-side common booster cores that comprise the first stage.
Each booster is powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A engine.
Capable of generating 702,000 pounds of thrust at sea level, the
RS-68A is the world’s most powerful hydrogen-fueled engine.
The rocket’s second stage is powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne
RL10B-2 engine, which generates 24,750 pounds of thrust at
altitude. The RL10 family of liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-fueled
engines has been in operation on various vehicles for more than
five decades. Aerojet Rocketdyne also supplied the 12 MR-106
reaction control thrusters on the Delta Cryogenic Second Stage.
ARDÉ, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne, provides the pressure
vessels on the first and second stages of the launch vehicle.
About Aerojet Rocketdyne: Aerojet Rocketdyne, a
subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a
world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides
propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and
strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of
domestic and international customers. For more information, visit
www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com. Follow Aerojet
Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at @AerojetRdyne and
@DrakeEileen.
Media Contacts:Todd McConnell,
Aerojet Rocketdyne, 561-882-5395todd.mcconnell@rocket.comMary
Engola, Aerojet Rocketdyne, 571-289-1371mary.engola@rocket.com
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