Neel Mehta
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s propulsion system, consisting of booster and upper-stage engines and spacecraft attitude control thrusters, has helped launch a military navigation satellite to space from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
its RS-68 booster engine, RL10B-2 upper-stage engine and 12 monopropellant hydrazine thrusters have propelled Boeing’s GPS IIF-5 satellite from United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV rocket,  Aerojet Rocketdyne said Friday
According to Steve Bouley, vice president of space launch systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne, the propulsion system is expected to place payloads, such as the satellite, into orbit.
The rocket was launched using the booster engine’s 758,000 lbs vacuum thrust and 663,000 lbs sea-level thrust, while its upper stage was powered by the 24,750 lbs thrust of the RL10B-2.
Aerojet added the thrusters then controlled the roll, pitch and yaw of the upper stage, while a pair of its propulsion systems was also fitted into the satellite to manage its orbit path.
IIF satellites provide navigation support for commercial, civil and defense applications, with signal accuracy and jamming resistance capabilities, the report said.
