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Aerojets Second-Stage Engine Powers Cosmo-3 Launch
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 27, 2008 – Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that its second-stage engine helped power the launch of the COnstellation of small Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation (Cosmo-3) mission.
Developed for the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, the COSMO-SkyMed system is a constellation of four satellites that provide defense and civilian earth imaging.
Aerojet, under contract to United Launch Alliance, provided the Delta II rocket’s second stage engine. This was Aerojet’s 267th successful Delta II launch since 1960. Aerojet’s second stage liquid rocket engine’s unblemished success record owes its longevity to its robust design.
This same engine supports launches of critical missions such as the entire fleet of MESSENGER, Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR, Phoenix Mars Lander, GLAST, THEMIS, STEREO, Deep Impact and the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft. This particular engine’s launch history began in 1958 when Aerojet provided second stage propulsion for the Vanguard-1 mission. Over the years, the engine’s performance has been improved so that today it has the power and reliability needed to assist in critical missions such as today’s Cosmo-3 spacecraft launch.
Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company’s excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies’ Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.
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