Aerojet Rocketdyne Engines Perform Successfully During Boeing's Starliner Pad Abort Test

Aerojet Rocketdyne and Boeing successfully tested the primary launch abort system for the Starliner next-generation crew spacecraft at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range located in New Mexico today. Aerojet Rocketdyne is the main propulsion provider for the Starliner service module, which will carry out launch abort maneuvers in the unlikely event of an emergency on the pad or during ascent.

“Providing safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit is paramount for sustainable space architectures,” said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “Aerojet Rocketdyne is providing Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft with proven launch abort propulsion for every stage of flight to ensure crew safety.”

In the event of a launch anomaly during the early stages of ascent, four Aerojet Rocketdyne launch abort engines and 14 orbital maneuvering and attitude control engines on the service module can go from dormant to delivering a combined 181,000 pounds of thrust in just one-quarter of a second. Starliner’s launch abort system allows for a safe abort at any time during the mission, which has never before been possible with crew vehicles.

During today’s test, the Starliner service module demonstrated its ability to separate itself from a simulated launch vehicle and propel itself and the crew module approximately one mile high and one mile downrange, and then separate from the crew module in a controlled manner.

In total, Aerojet Rocketdyne provides 28 reaction control system engines, 20 orbital maneuvering and attitude control engines, and four launch abort engines on the Starliner service module. These engines support both low-altitude and high-altitude abort capability, on-orbit maneuvering, space station reboost, and stage separation during the mission.

“Today’s successful pad abort test for Starliner paves the way for safely launching our astronauts from American soil once again,” added Drake.

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is a next-generation space capsule designed to carry humans and scientific research to and from low-Earth orbit, including the International Space Station. Aerojet Rocketdyne provides propulsion and pressure vessel tanks on every phase of the Starliner mission from launch to reentry.