by Mike Gruss
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Air Force will invest up to $536 million in
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1 rocket engine and as much as $202 million in United
Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket as a way to end dependence on the Russian
rocket engine used to launch most U.S. national security payloads, according to
a Feb. 29 announcement from the Pentagon.
#Aerojet_Rocketdyne will use the money to help develop its AR1 rocket
engine. ULA will develop a prototype of its Vulcan launch vehicle with the
BE-4 engine and work on its next-generation upper stage engine known as the
Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage, or ACES.
The contracts are among the Air Force’s top space acquisition
priorities for 2016.
Following the Crimean crisis of 2014, Congress directed the Defense
Department to develop domestic propulsion systems that would enable the Air
Force to end its reliance on the Russian-built RD-180 by 2019. That engine powers
ULA’s Atlas 5 rocket, which is used to launch a majority of national security
satellites.
The Air Force said in June it intended to award a total of $160 million to
fund work on both main- and upper-stage rocket engines. Industry would be
required to cover at least one-third of the costs of their proposed
development efforts, but the actual size of the government investment would
vary from proposal to proposal. But once the Air Force awarded four contracts
the initial total was $242 million, including $115 million to Aerojet
Rocketdyne.
“Having two or more domestic, commercially viable launch providers that
also meet national security space requirements continues to be our end goal,”
Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, commander of the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems
Center, said in a press release. “These innovative public-private partnerships
with industry as they develop their rocket propulsion systems are a key part of
the [Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle] acquisition strategy to assure access
to space and address the urgent need to transition away from strategic foreign
reliance.”
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1 that, like the RD-180 it is intended to replace,
is fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene. The initial value of the contract the
Air Force awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne Feb. 29 is $115 million but options could
raise the potential government investment to $536 million. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s
share of development costs, under that scenario, would top $268 million.
“AR1 will return the United States to the forefront of kerosene rocket
propulsion technology,” Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s chief executive
officer, said in a press release. “We are incorporating the latest advances in
modern manufacturing, while capitalizing on our rich knowledge of rocket engines
to produce a new, state-of-the-art engine that will end our reliance on a
foreign supplier to launch our nation’s national security assets.”
Aerojet Rocketdyne executives say they plan to test the first AR1
development engine in 2017, followed by additional testing in 2018 and to
provide a certified engine in 2019.
Following the Pentagon’s announcement, the company said Huntsville,
Alabama-based Dynetics will become a subcontractor for the work and supply
elements of the engine’s main propulsion system, ignition system and ground
support equipment.
ULA announced in September 2014 that its first choice for a new engine for
its Vulcan rocket is the BE-4, a liquid-natural-gas fueled engine that cannot
be used on the Atlas 5 as currently designed. Blue Origin of Kent, Washington,
owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, is developing that engine using its own
funds.
The Air Force awarded ULA a $46 million contract Feb. 29 to develop a
prototype of the Vulcan rocket using the BE-4 and the upper stage engine. With
options, the potential government investment in Vulcan could reach $202
million. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, would be
expected to contribute as much as $134 million under that scenario.
ULA said the Air Force funding would help integrate the BE-4 with the
Vulcan launch vehicle.
“While the RD-180 engine has been a remarkable success with more than 60
successful launches, we believe now is the right time for American investment
in a domestic engine,” Tory Bruno, ULA’s president and chief executive officer,
said in a release.
ULA has said the Vulcan’s first flight could be as early as 2019 and that
the ACES upper stage engine could fly as early as 2023. Last year, ULA
officials said an ACES-equipped Vulcan, augmented by strap-on boosters,
would have 30 percent more lift capacity than the Delta 4 Heavy, currently the
largest vehicle in the U.S. fleet.
ULA has a contract with Aerojet to retain the AR1 as a backup in case the
BE-4 effort falters. ULA is expected to choose which engine it will develop for
Vulcan late this year.
The Feb. 29 announcement is the Air Force’s second round of contract of
awards for rocket propulsion systems. On Jan. 13 the service announced it
would invest at least $46.9 million and perhaps as much as $180 million, to
develop three technologies for a new rocket from Orbital ATK. In
addition, SpaceX received at least $33.6 million, and perhaps as much as $61
million, to continue development of its reusable methane-fueled Raptor engine.
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