Aerojet Rocketdyne says that it has supplied a range of components for the Perseverance Rover, which has been launched to Mars as part of NASA’s 2020 space mission.
The parts supplied by the company include four AJ-60A solid rocket, which will provide 1,394,000 pounds of thrust to lift the vehicle off the launch pad; a single RL10C-1 Centaur upper stage engine designed to will propel Perseverance on a trajectory to Mars after first stage separation; 12 MR-106 reaction control system thrusters which can provide pitch, yaw and roll control for the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage, as well as settling burns for the RL10 engine; six tanks intended to store the high pressure helium used to pressurize propellant tanks on the launch vehicle’s first and second stages to feed propellant to the engines; and two tanks designed to store high pressure helium to pressurize the lander/descent propulsion system.
‘Perseverance will rely on Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion during the launch, entry, descent and landing phases of the mission, and Aerojet Rocketdyne power during the collection portion of the mission,’ said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. ‘Aerojet Rocketdyne engines have flown aboard and enabled every successful NASA Mars mission to date and we’re confident that Perseverance will soon join its predecessors in making amazing discoveries.’
This story uses material from Aerojet Rocketdyne, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
