SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp company, announced today its recent selection by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to provide developmental engines for the Ares I crew launch vehicle first stage roll control system. These engines are the first in a series of steps to develop the roll control system to ensure that Ares I stays on its designated trajectory throughout the first two minutes of flight. The engines being developed by Aerojet under this contract will be used to mature the roll control system planned for the Ares I test program. Aerojet has selected Moog Inc. of Buffalo, NY, as the supplier to design the propellant valve for the engine.
NASA is developing the Ares I rocket to carry space explorers to Earth orbit. The Ares I launch vehicle is the essential core of a space transportation system being developed by NASA for the next generation of United States human space exploration. "Aerojet is proud of its role in advancing America's Vision for Space Exploration through our work on Ares I and Orion," says Scott Neish, President of Aerojet. "It is the latest step in Aerojet's proud legacy of involvement in every human space flight mission since Americans first ventured into space."
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile, space propulsion and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate business segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.aerojet.com/ and http://www.gencorp.com/.
