Aerojet

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed delivery of its 100th Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), AJ60, for United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle programme.

An Atlas V vehicle is scheduled to launch Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft as part of Nasa’s cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The launch will be carried out from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch site in Florida.

Aerojet Rocketdyne said its SRB will be an ideal match for the Atlas V launch vehicle fleet.

Atlas V will receive additional launch thrust from up to five SRBs which are attached to the common core booster. The five SRBs can increase ULA’s Atlas V rocket’s launch thrust by more 1.9 million pounds.

Aerojet’s SRBs provide over 375,000lb of thrust during liftoff. Each of the 67ft long, 5ft wide composite motor case of the SRBs contains more than 90,000lb of propellant.

"The launch will be carried out from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch site in Florida."

Aerojet Rocketdyne president Eileen Drake said: "This is a tremendous milestone, not just for Aerojet Rocketdyne but for our team of engineers and production personnel who have demonstrated unparalleled commitment and technical expertise over the years to design, build and fly a highly effective, affordable SRB that has performed with 100% mission success."

Currently 87 Aerojet Rocketdyne SRBs have taken part in 24 Atlas missions.

The company was selected for the Atlas V Solid Rocket Booster programme in 1999.

In 2003, the first Atlas V launch with SRBs was launched for a commercial communications satellite Rainbow 1.

Image: Two space shuttle SRBs on the Crawler transporter. Photo: courtesy of Nasa/Wikipedia.