GenCorp's Aerojet Propulsion Supported ULA Launch Of NASA Mission Into Orbit

(RTTNews) - Aerospace and defense company Aerojet Rocketdyne, affiliated to GenCorp (GY), Friday said that its propulsion supported the successful placing of NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale or MMS mission into orbit. The unprecedented mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance or ULA Atlas V rocket.

Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion included an RL10A-4-2 upper-stage engine, six helium pressurization tanks and a dozen Centaur upper-stage thrusters used for roll, pitch, yaw and settling burns.

Each of the four identical MMS spacecraft that were deployed from the vehicle uses eight Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-106N 4.0 lbf radial rocket engine assemblies to position the spacecraft, both absolutely and relative to one another, and to keep each spacecraft spinning at about three revolutions per minute.

ARDÉ, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne based in New Jersey, provides the pressure vessels on the first and second stages on the launch vehicle.

Warren Yasuhara, vice president of Space Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne, said, "MMS will investigate connections and disconnections of magnetic fields around the Earth - natural processes that can impact the Earth's magnetosphere and ultimately affect satellites and human space travel. We are pleased to know that our thrusters will be playing a critical role to keep these satellites in orbit."