Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion Rocketdyne |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Fate | Sold toGenCorp (2013) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Rocket Engines Propulsion Systems Energy Systems Extreme Engineering Services |
| Parent | United Technologies Corporation |
| Website | [1] |
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) , now known as Aerojet Rocketdyne through a recent sale, United States designs and produces rocket engines that use liquid propellants. It was a division of Pratt & Whitney, a fully owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. Rocketdyne, through various ownerships, has been headquartered in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California since 1955. PWR has additional operations in West Palm Beach, Florida; Huntsville, Alabama; the Kennedy Space Center, Florida; and the Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. On June 14, 2013, GenCorp Inc. announced that it had completed the acquisition of substantially all operations of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne business (Rocketdyne) from United Technologies Corporation. GenCorp. combined Rocketdyne with Aerojet-General Corporation (Aerojet), a wholly-owned subsidiary of GenCorp., and the combined business operate as Aerojet Rocketdyne, Inc., headquartered in Sacramento, Calif.
History
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne was formed in 2005 when Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion and Boeing Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power were merged, following the latter's acquisition from Boeing by United Technologies Corporation. Boeing retained the 2,800 acre Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory property above Canoga Park.
In July 2012, United Technologies Corporation agreed to sell Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to GenCorp, which also owns rocket engine producer Aerojet.[1][2][3] The sale has been delayed pending the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) approval, and is expected to be completed by the first half of 2013.[4] [5]
Products
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
- RL10 (LH2/LOX) An American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Historic Landmark developed by Pratt & Whitney. Used on the Saturn I, the upper stage of the Delta IV, the Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V and Titan rockets and on the vertical-landing McDonnell Douglas DC-X "Delta Clipper". It was intended to serve as the main propulsion engine for the Altair lunar lander.
- RS-25 (LH2/LOX) Space Shuttle main engine.
- SJ61 (JP-7/ingested air) A dual-mode ramjet/scramjet engine flown on the Boeing X-51 hypersonic demonstration vehicle.
See also
References
- ^ Los Angeles Times; "Rocketdyne sold to GenCorp" . accessed 12.12.2012
- ^ "GenCorp to buy rocket manufacturer Rocketdyne". Flightglobal. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ^ "Who's Where", Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 1, 2007
- ^ GenCorp acquisition of Rocketdyne delayed pending FTC approval
- ^ Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Cuts 100 Jobs
External links
- Rocketdyne engines
- Rocketry
- Aerospace companies of the United States
- Manufacturing companies based in California
- Defense companies of the United States
- Companies based in Los Angeles, California
- United Technologies Corporation
- Companies established in 2005
- Companies disestablished in 2012
- Defunct companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area
- History of the San Fernando Valley