Tag: AR1
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Aerojet Rocketdyne, Firefly to collaborate on propulsion
At its Central Texas test site, Firefly is conducting “quad” testing of four Reaver first stage engines for the company’s Alpha launch vehicle. Credit: Firefly Aerospace/Edwards Media Firefly Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne have announced a strategic partnership to collaborate on rocket propulsion, an agreement that could lead to Firefly’s use of Aerojet’s AR1 engine in…
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Bezos rocket engine selected for new Vulcan rocket
Artist’s concept of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. Credit: ULA Ending months of speculation, Blue Origin, a company owned by Amazon-founder Jeff Bezos, has won a milestone contract to provide first-stage rocket engines for a powerful new booster being designed by United Launch Alliance to replace its current fleet of Atlas and Delta launchers, the…
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AR1 engine clears milestone in step toward ending U.S. reliance on Russian propulsion
Aerojet Rocketdyne tests its AR1 engine preburner, which was built using a proprietary alloy and 3-D printing technology, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne A rocket engine that could power United Launch Alliance’s next-generation rocket has passed a major design review, clearing the way for full-scale hotfire testing starting next year and certification…
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ULA chief says Blue Origin in driver’s seat for Vulcan engine deal
The first fully-assembled BE-4 engine. Credit: Blue Origin A full-scale BE-4 engine developed by Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, is installed on a test stand in West Texas for a series of hotfire tests that United Launch Alliance will closely examine before settling on the reusable methane-fueled engine for its…
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ULA’s candidates to replace RD-180 engine win Air Force funding
File photo of a hotfire test using components of Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine. Credit: Blue Origin The Pentagon has awarded at least $162 million in contracts to Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance for development work on the AR1 and BE-4 rocket engines, candidates to power the first stage of a next-generation rocket and replace…
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ULA selects launch pads for new Vulcan rocket
ULA chief executive Tory Bruno tweeted this image illustrating the Vulcan rocket’s evolution from the Atlas rocket family. The Vulcan will use the Atlas 5’s current launch pads in Florida and California, according to a senior ULA official. Credit: ULA United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Vulcan rocket will lift off from the company’s existing Atlas 5…
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Boeing rejects bid to buy ULA as engine race heats up
File photo of an Atlas 5 rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: ULA Boeing said Wednesday it has turned down an offer from Aerojet Rocketdyne to buy United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture that operates the Atlas and Delta rocket fleets. The decision keeps ULA’s plan to select a…
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Boeing rejects bid to buy ULA as engine race heats up
File photo of an Atlas 5 rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: ULA Boeing said Wednesday it has turned down an offer from Aerojet Rocketdyne to buy United Launch Alliance, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture that operates the Atlas and Delta rocket fleets. The decision keeps ULA’s plan to select a…
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Aerojet Rocketdyne touts AR1 engine for Atlas 5
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS “SPACE PLACE” & USED WITH PERMISSION Aerojet Rocketdyne is pressing ahead with development of a powerful new rocket engine that company officials believe will be an attractive alternative to the Russian-built RD-180 engine that now powers the first stage of United Launch Alliance’s workhorse Atlas 5 booster. The AR1 engine, a proposed…