Aerojet's Solid Rocket Boosters to Support Upcoming Atlas V Launch

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 16, 2003 -- Aerojet, a GenCorp Inc. (NYSE: GY) company, will provide added lift support with its solid rocket boosters for the upcoming Lockheed Martin Atlas V launch, scheduled for July 17, 2003. The 67-foot boosters will take their maiden flight on the third Atlas V launch vehicle, dubbed AV-003, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The boosters, manufactured by Aerojet at the company's Sacramento, Calif. facility, provide additional performance in support of the medium- to intermediate-lift versions of the Atlas V family of launch vehicles.

"Tomorrow's planned launch of the Atlas launch vehicle with added lifting power provided by Aerojet's solid rocket boosters is an exciting event for hundreds of employees," said Mark Kaufman, executive director of space boosters and strategic propulsion programs. "The Aerojet Atlas team has worked diligently since 1999 toward this first launch date. Decades of extensive work in solid rocket propulsion played a critical role in the design and manufacture of the solid rocket boosters."

Aerojet delivered its first two production boosters to the Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) at Cape Canaveral on May 22, and the vehicle underwent a launch day rehearsal, including fueling of the first stage propulsion system, on June 23. The vehicle was then rolled back to the VIF, where the Rainbow satellite was mated to the vehicle in the nose cone July 7.

Aerojet produced the solid rocket boosters under a 1999 contract awarded by Lockheed Martin. The Atlas V can be configured with as many as five Aerojet solid rocket boosters, allowing for unprecedented flexibility in meeting customers' needs. "Tomorrow's launch will be the final milestone in a four-year project that capitalizes on Aerojet's inherent expertise in solid rocket motors," said Michael Martin, Aerojet president. "We are extremely proud of the teamwork that went into the design, development and production of these motors."

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, and defense and armaments markets. GenCorp Inc. is a multi-national, technology-based manufacturer with leading positions in the automotive, aerospace, defense and pharmaceutical fine chemicals industries. For more information, please visit http://www.aerojet.com and http://www.gencorp.com.

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