Aerojet Engine Assists With STSS ATRR Satellite Launch
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that its engine helped propel the Delta II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) to put the Space Tracking and Surveillance System Advanced Technology Risk Reduction (STSS ATRR) satellite into orbit for NASA and the Missile Defense Agency.
The Missile Defense Agency's STSS Advanced Technology Risk Reduction satellite serves as a technology pathfinder for the STSS mission - a space-based sensor component of the layered Ballistic Missile Defense System.
Aerojet, under contract to United Launch Alliance, provided the Delta II rocket's liquid second stage engine. "This was a great opportunity to work with the Missile Defense Agency on this special mission. Once again the Delta II vehicle performed flawlessly," said Director of Delta II and Space Tank Production Programs, Richard Yanick.
This same engine has supported launches of critical missions such as the NASA missions -- MESSENGER, Phoenix Mars Lander, GLAST, THEMIS, STEREO, Deep Impact and the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) spacecraft -- and the USAF Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR fleet. This particular engine's launch history began in 1958 when Aerojet provided second stage propulsion for the Vanguard-1 mission.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate 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.
