Engineers at NASA’s Stennis Space Center conducted a test of Aerojet’s AJ26 Engine E9 on May 3, continuing the agency’s partnership support as Orbital Sciences Corporation prepares to provide commercial cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
A team of NASA, Orbital and Aerojet engineers monitored the 55-second, hot-fire engine acceptance test on the E-1 Test Stand at Stennis. After test data is reviewed and the engine is inspected, it will be shipped to the Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia for installation on Orbital’s Antares rocket. A pair of Aerojet engines will provide first-stage power for Antares rockets on ISS cargo supply missions.
Orbital is a partner in NASA’s ongoing Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) joint research and development program. Through COTS, NASA is helping commercial partners develop and demonstrate cargo space transportation capabilities to serve the U.S. government and other potential customers.
For information about Stennis, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/stennis.
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Rebecca Strecker
NASA Public Affairs Office
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000
(228) 688-3249
Rebecca.A.Strecker@nasa.gov