Follow-On Contract Awarded to Support Artemis VI-VIII

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been given a $67 million contract award from Locheed Martin that will provide 3 more Orion spacecraft with engines, slated for use in Artemis missions 6 through 8.

The new development is an add-on to the 2019 Orion Production and Operations Contract, coming hot on the heels of a successful test flight following the NASA Artemis I mission. The contract award includes the delivery of 3 sets of the Orion service module's auxiliary engines, with 3 additional jettison motors. Each set of auxiliary engines includes 8 individual pieces, each putting out 105 lbs of thrust for spatial adjustment and maneuvering. The smaller aux engines will help to supplement the Orion main engine, saving fuel and providing additional thrust vectors.

“Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion on NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket contributed to the success of the historic Artemis I mission, from liftoff to splashdown,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen P. Drake. “We’re proud to be part of a team that has demonstrated the ability to safely and efficiently carry astronauts on future Artemis missions, effectively ushering in an exciting new generation of human spaceflight.”

“Orion is NASA’s deep space exploration vehicle,” continued Drake. “Aerojet Rocketdyne is delivering the propulsion systems that will take the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon and create a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and develop technologies that will one day enable us to send astronauts to Mars.”

FMI:www.AerojetRocketdyne.com