Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Successfully Boosts Heavy-Lift Vehicle Carrying a Government Satellite

CANOGA PARK, Calif., Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne today helped boost a government satellite for the U.S. Government, demonstrating its heavy-lift capabilities and continued support of national security.  The satellite was onboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, powered by three Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 booster engines and one upper-stage RL10B-2 engine.  The Delta IV Heavy launched for the first time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, becoming the largest rocket ever launched from the West Coast.  Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

"The RS-68 engines continue to prove their ability to successfully boost heavy launch vehicles, and we're proud to play a role in the security of our nation," said Dan Adamski, RS-68 program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.  

Christine Cooley, RL10 program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, said, "The RL10 team's unwavering commitment to 100 percent mission success was once again demonstrated by the flawless performance of the RL10B-2 engine, which provided the upper-stage propulsion helping to boost this national security asset into space right on target."

The RS-68 is the world's largest hydrogen-fueled engine, designed for heavy-lift with 758,000 pounds of vacuum thrust and 663,000 pounds of sea-level thrust.   The RL10B-2 is a unique cryogenic upper-stage engine that provides 465 seconds of specific impulse and 24,750 pounds of thrust.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.  For more information about Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, go to www.prattwhitneyrocketdyne.com.  Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is headquartered in Canoga Park, Calif., and has facilities in Huntsville, Ala.; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Stennis Space Center, Miss.  

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and commercial building industries.

SOURCE Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

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