Printing the next generation of rocket engines

For the last several years, aerospace companies have been examining ways to use additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, to aid the production of rocket engines.

DARPA, companies declare success in AR-22 engine test series

A government-industry team announced July 10 they successfully completed a series of 10 test firings over 10 days of a shuttle-era engine intended for use on a reusable suborbital spaceplane.

Engine tests underway for DARPA spaceplane program

A space shuttle-era main engine is undergoing a series of daily test firings to demonstrate its suitability for use on a reusable spaceplane under development.

In the wake of Northrop-Orbital merger, Aerojet’s solid rocket engine business teetering on the brink

There are now technically two companies that still manufacture large solid rockets for military ICBMs. The industry is poised to become a monopoly, however, as Aerojet’s large solid rocket motor business is on not-so-solid ground.

RL10 engine added to Air Force agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne and the U.S. Air Force have revised an existing agreement supporting development of a new large rocket engine to include work on an updated version of an upper stage engine.

Industry warns of launch vehicle glut

The launch industry is facing a shakeout in the coming years that could result in the failure of the vast majority of companies developing new vehicles, industry executives warned at a conference.

Space Tech Expo USA 2018

Space Tech Expo will be returning to Pasadena for 2018. America’s engineering and manufacturing meeting place for space technology grows bigger and better year on year, bringing together industry leaders, decision-makers and buyers to meet t…

ULA selects Aerojet to provide Vulcan upper stage engine

United Launch Alliance has picked Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RL10 engine to power the upper stage of its next-generation Vulcan rocket, the second such contract Aerojet has secured in as many months.

Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne renegotiating AR1 agreement

The U.S. Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne are working to revise an agreement to support development of the company's AR1 rocket engine, as questions continue about the engine's long-term future.

SmallSat Symposium

The SmallSat Symposium is the undisputed Business and Finance Conference for Small Satellites.

World leaders and experts unlock the knowledge required to leverage smallsat innovation and cutting-edge technology into next generation solution…

ABS picks Jim Simpson as CEO

Jim Simpson, a former Boeing executive who helped arrange an all-electric satellite purchase with fleet operator ABS in 2012, will become ABS’s new chief executive, the company announced today.

What is Mondaloy and why should you care?

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s success in developing AR1, an engine designed to replace Russian-made RD-180 engines on United Launch Alliance rockets, hinges in part on its use of Mondaloy, a nickel-based superalloy invented in the 1990s by metallurgists Monica Jacinto.

Op-Ed | Matching our launch infrastructure to affordable and resilient space systems

As the National Security Space community implements resiliency and disaggregation, and as we take advantage of the rapid acceleration of technology, it appears we are moving toward smaller, shorter life, and more numerous satellite programs.

ULA feels no schedule pressure to select Vulcan engine

The chief executive of United Launch Alliance said Nov. 9 that he doesn’t feel any urgency to select a main engine for his company’s next-generation Vulcan rocket, despite an impending deadline for an Air Force launch competition.

AR1 rocket R&D costs reach $228 million

Research and development (R&D) costs for the AR1 rocket from the program’s inception through June 30 have reached about $228 million, according to recent Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filings by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the engine's manufacturer.

Blue Origin retains engine lead as House considers limitations on launch system funding

An independent assessment of rocket engine development delivered to a House committee last week has concluded that Blue Origin remains well ahead of Aerojet Rocketdyne despite a recent testing setback.