Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion Boeing Rocketdyne |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Aerojet Rocketdyne |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Rocket engines |
| Parent | United Technologies Corporation |
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was an American company that designed and produced rocket engines that use liquid propellants. It was a division of Pratt & Whitney, a fully owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation. It was headquartered in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. In 2013, the company was sold to GenCorp, becoming part of Aerojet Rocketdyne.
History[edit]
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne was formed in 2005 when Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion and Boeing Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power were merged, following the latter's acquisition from Boeing by United Technologies Corporation. Boeing retained the 2,800 acre Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Laboratory property above Canoga Park while a majority of the engineering and design continued to be carried out at the Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion facility located on Beeline Highway outside West Palm Beach, Florida.
In July 2012, United Technologies Corporation agreed to sell Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to GenCorp, which also owns rocket engine producer Aerojet.[1][2][3] The sale was completed in June 2013, when the company was merged with Aerojet to form Aerojet Rocketdyne.[4]
Products[edit]
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
- RL10 (LH2/LOX) An American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Historic Landmark developed by Pratt & Whitney. Used on the Saturn I, the upper stage of the Delta IV, the Centaur upper stage for the Atlas V and Titan rockets and on the vertical-landing McDonnell Douglas DC-X "Delta Clipper". It was intended to serve as the main propulsion engine for the Altair lunar lander.
- RS-68 (LH2/LOX) First stage engine for the Delta IV.
- RS-25 (LH2/LOX) Space Shuttle main engine.
- SJ61 (JP-7/ingested air) A dual-mode ramjet/scramjet engine flown on the Boeing X-51 hypersonic demonstration vehicle.
- J-2X (LH2/LOX) As of 2013 under development to be used on the Earth Departure Stage for the Block II of the Space Launch System.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Los Angeles Times; "Rocketdyne sold to GenCorp" . accessed 12.12.2012
- ^ "GenCorp to buy rocket manufacturer Rocketdyne". Flightglobal. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
- ^ "Who's Where", Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 1, 2007
- ^ Here's how Aerojet Rocketdyne might bring 5,000 new aerospace engineering jobs to Huntsville
External links[edit]
- Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings
- Rocketdyne
- Rocketdyne engines
- Aerospace companies of the United States
- Manufacturing companies based in Los Angeles
- Former defense companies of the United States
- Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles
- Canoga Park, Los Angeles
- United Technologies
- American companies established in 2005
- Manufacturing companies established in 2005
- Technology companies established in 2005
- American companies disestablished in 2013
- Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2013
- Technology companies disestablished in 2013
- 2005 establishments in California
- 2013 disestablishments in California
- Defunct companies based in Greater Los Angeles
- History of the San Fernando Valley
- 2013 mergers and acquisitions