Will Provide Propulsion Subsystems On A2100 Satellites

Aerojet Rocketdyne was recently awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin to deliver XR-5 Hall Effect and MR-510 Arcjet electric propulsion subsystems, as well as monopropellant rocket engines for the modernized A2100 satellite. The contract is for delivery of the flight propulsion subsystems aboard two modernized A2100 satellites that Arabsat recently ordered from Lockheed Martin.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne has led the evolution and advancement of satellite propulsion including the first catalytic monopropellant rocket engines flown on a GEO Comsat, the first Electrothermal Hydrazine Thrusters flown on the Series 3000 platform, the first Arcjet systems flown on the Series 7000 platform, and the first high-power (5kW) Hall systems flown on the A2100 platform," said Warren Yasuhara, vice president of Space Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne. "Each advancement has dramatically increased fuel efficiency with the Electrothermal Hydrazine Thrusters providing a 50-percent improvement, the Arcjet systems providing a 200-percent improvement and the XR-5 Hall systems providing a 900-percent improvement."

Aerojet Rocketdyne and Lockheed Martin have a long and successful history dating back to Satcom-1, which launched in the 1970s with Aerojet Rocketdyne's 1-Newton monopropellant rocket engines. It has continued with more than 100 Lockheed Martin GEO Comsats and more than 1,500 Aerojet Rocketdyne chemical and electric propulsion rocket engines onboard. The XR-5 Hall system, the only flight-proven high-power Hall Thruster system in the world, significantly expands the capability of the A2100 platform due to its unique combination of high-performance and high-qualified total impulse. Twelve XR-5 Hall Thrusters have now flown aboard three Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites that have demonstrated full orbit-raising as well as a cumulative seven years of station-keeping operation.

The Lockheed Martin modernized A2100 satellite will provide a broad range of customer and mission flexibility. Aerojet Rocketdyne's propulsion products contribute to that flexibility from the chemical configurations to a mix of electric propulsion and chemical propulsion configurations. High confidence for mission success is ensured by using propulsion products with proven flight heritage.

(Image provided by Lockheed Martin)

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