Brenda Marie Rivers
Northrop Grumman has entered into an agreement with Lockheed Martin to provide additional abort system components for the Orion capsule that will be used for NASA’s subsequent Artemis missions to deep space.
Northrop said Monday it will provide six attitude control and abort motors for the Launch Abort System that will be integrated with Orion and installed on top of the Space Launch System.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center previously received the Northrop-built LAS motors for Artemis I, which is scheduled for 2021, and Artemis II.
The additional LAS motor elements are meant to support the four succeeding Artemis missions, according to Northrop.
Charlie Precourt, vice president for propulsion systems at Northrop, said the company’s contribution to LAS comes as part of its efforts to ensure the equipment of reliable propulsion systems for the Artemis missions.
The three-motor LAS is designed to carry Orion in the event of a launch anomaly. The abort motor has a thrust capacity of 400K pounds and works to operate with ACM to maneuver Orion from SLS in preparation for a parachute landing.
Northrop manufactures the abort motor in its Utah facilities while ACM production is housed in Elkton, Maryland.
