SACRAMENTO, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. company Aerojet has completed development injector testing for NASA's 7,500-pound thrust Orion main engine.
Aerojet is a subcontractor on the NASA project to Lockheed Martin.
The Orion main engine is a pressure-fed, regeneratively cooled, storable bi-propellant improved model of Aerojet's flight-proven 6,000-pound thrust space shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System Engine, the company reported Thursday.
Aerojet's Orion Program Manager Cheryl Rehm noted: "The successful qualification combustion stability testing of the OME injector was the result of a structured approach used to design, analyze, build and test the first development injector. The team's meticulous attention to detail resulted in a product that met and exceeded our expectations."
The OME will provide thrust for NASA projects requiring large velocity changes such as Earth orbital insertion, translunar/transEarth injection, Earth de-orbit, and emergency thrust for high-altitude abort scenarios.
Aerojet's Orion's engine suite includes 16 25-pound thrust engines and eight 100-pound-thrust bipropellant engines for the Orion service module, which comprises a crew module for crew and cargo transport and a service module for propulsion, electrical power and fluids storage.
