Miles Jamison
L3Harris Technologies has marked a milestone in the development of one of three solid rocket motors that will support future NASA missions.
The defense contracting company said Tuesday it was able to cast the jettison motor needed for the Launch Abort System, or LAS, of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and intended for Artemis III and IV lunar missions.
The jettison motor is supposed to fire for less than two seconds during a nominal mission profile, providing the needed 40,000 pounds of thrust to detach Orion’s LAS from the crew module and Space Launch System rocket. Once separated, the astronauts can proceed on their lunar-bound journey.
Kristin Houston, president of space propulsion and power systems at L3Harris subsidiary Aerojet Rocketdyne, described the jettison motor as a “rocket on top of a rocket” that is positioned on top of the SLS.
“Its job is to outpace the massive SLS rocket during each mission,” explained Houston. “Engineered with precision and rigor, the jettison motor propels astronauts to safety in the most demanding of circumstances.”
L3Harris’ Huntsville, Alabama site was responsible for producing the Artemis III jettison motor case. The motor is currently undergoing further processing and inspection. It will then be brought to Lockheed Martin for integration with NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
NASA aims to send the first woman, first person of color and first international to the lunar surface through the Artemis missions. Artemis III aims to send a person back to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. Artemis IV, meanwhile, is set to be the first mission to the Gateway space station in lunar orbit.
L3Harris is also expanding its Orange County site and several others to boost solid rocket motor production.
