Tag: RL10
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Aerojet Rocketdyne, ULA mark 60th anniversary of RL10 rocket engine
A Dual Engine Centaur upper stage for Atlas V nears completion at the factory in Decatur, Alabama. The RL10 engine marked 60 years of flight on Nov. 27, 2023. Image: United Launch Alliance A rocket engine with a long pedigree marked a big milestone on Monday. It’s 60 years since the hydrogen-fueled RL10 engine debuted…
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Last West Coast Delta IV Heavy launches with NROL-91
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket made its last West Coast launch on Saturday, carrying out a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, as it moves one flight closer to retirement. Liftoff of the NRO Launch 91 (NROL-91) mission from Space Launch Complex 6 — at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California…
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Following in the footsteps of Saturn, SLS prepares for test flight
As NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket stands ready for its first test flight next week, the Artemis program prepares to follow in the footsteps of Apollo, which first carried humans to the Moon in the 1960s. SLS will fly uncrewed just once before carrying astronauts around the Moon on Artemis II, while the Orion…
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United Launch Alliance nears first fueling test on Vulcan rocket
A pathfinder core stage for ULA’s Vulcan rocket on pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this year. The Vertical Integration Facility is pictured in the background. Credit: United Launch Alliance United Launch Alliance could load cryogenic methane and liquid oxygen propellants into a Vulcan rocket test article at Cape Canaveral for the…
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SLS continuing engine upgrades, tech development to support launcher evolution
The Liquid Engines Office for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program is planning a busy schedule of test campaigns next year in parallel with efforts to complete preparations for the vehicle’s first launch. Existing Aerojet Rocketdyne hydrogen-oxygen engine designs and hardware will be used for the SLS core and upper stages, but both the space…
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RL10 engine – pushing towards 60 years of service – to live on with Vulcan
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10 engine is continuing to beat out its younger competitors, winning another future role as the upper stage engine for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan/Centaur rocket. The engine is no strange to ULA, providing a key role with both of its Delta IV and Atlas V rockets that Vulcan will eventually replace.…
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Orbital ATK names new launcher, selects upper stage engine
Artist’s illustration of Orbital ATK’s proposed OmegA rocket. Credit: Orbital ATK Orbital ATK’s proposed rocket to answer the U.S. Air Force’s desire for two families of satellite launchers with U.S.-made propulsion systems will be named OmegA, and the company has selected the cryogenic Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engine to power the vehicle’s upper stage, officials announced…
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MSFC propose Aerojet Rocketdyne supply EUS engines
The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has issued a “Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC)” solicitation in support of sole sourcing RL10 engines for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) from Aerojet Rocketdyne. The document calls for an initial order of 10 engines to cover the first two flights of the Space Launch…
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Decision looms on when to introduce new SLS upper stage
Artist’s concept of the Space Launch System’s upgraded upper stage with four RL10 engines. NASA officials want to introduce the new upper stage on the first crewed SLS launch in 2021, if budgets allow. Credit: Boeing NASA officials are waiting to see if Congress adds funding to the agency’s budget next year to kick-start development…