A Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A boosted a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket into space today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket carried WorldView-1, the first of two next-generation satellites that are part of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s NextView program. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.
Developing 200,000 pounds of thrust, the RS-27A engine system performed perfectly, helping to lift the Delta II and its cargo into orbit before transitioning to the rocket’s second stage. One of the most reliable rocket engine systems ever produced, the RS-27 has been the first-stage booster engine for the Delta II since 1974, accruing more than three decades of 100- percent lift-off success.
“The success of the RS-27A is a primary reason Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne continues to be one of the foremost rocket engine companies in the world,” said Elizabeth Jones, program manager for the RS-27A. “Its consistent performance is in the tradition of our other products, such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine, the RS-68 and the RL10.”
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.
