Aerojet has been awarded a
$10.4 million contract to design and develop a non-toxic peroxide
Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine (ARRE) for the Air Force’s Space Maneuver
Vehicle (SMV) concept.
Awarded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space
Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, the contract with
additional options is expected to earn Aerojet up to $29.9 million over the
next four years.
“The ARRE program represents a dramatic stepping stone for Aerojet’s
reusable rocket engine technologies — as well as the aerospace industry as a
whole,” said Russ Reavis, Aerojet vice president of programs.
“This program
will advance state-of-the-art peroxide engine technologies 30 years by
maintaining storable rocket engine performance with environmentally friendly
propellants.”
The SMV is a small, unmanned space vehicle envisioned as a reusable
satellite bus with substantial on-orbit maneuvering capability.
The Air Force
is considering the SMV concept for multiple missions including tactical
reconnaissance, identification and surveillance of space objects, and
space-based logistics.
“Aerojet is tasked to develop an Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine that
utilizes non-toxic, hydrogen peroxide as a propellant,” said Adam Siebenhaar,
Aerojet ARRE capture manager.
“The technology Aerojet proposed for the SMV
engine significantly leapfrogs existing peroxide-based technologies by using
advanced injection concepts, fabrication processes and chamber materials.”
The ARRE program is expected to start in May 2001 and run through
April 2005.
Development of the Advanced Reusable Rocket Engine and all its
components will be conducted at Aerojet’s Sacramento facility.
Aerojet, a GenCorp company, is a world-recognized aerospace and defense
leader principally serving the space electronics, missile and space
propulsion, and smart munitions and armaments markets.
Aerojet’s Web site
address is http://www.aerojet.com.
