Boeing to Further Develop Commercial Crew Space Transportation System under NASA CCiCap Award Supported by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

NASA has selected Boeing to receive $460 million in additional funding to further develop the Boeing Commercial Crew Transportation System in the third round of the Commercial Crew Program, Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap). In its partnership with Boeing on CCiCap, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will continue to support development of the service module with integrated launch-abort propulsion system for the Commercial Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft. The CST-100 spacecraft is designed to transport people to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations.

The CCiCap agreement between NASA and Boeing focuses on the design and development of a fully-integrated commercial crew transportation system that includes spacecraft, launch vehicle and ground and mission systems. In its partnership with Boeing, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will continue to provide support on propulsion system design maturation leading to the Critical Design Review, and complete development testing on key propulsion system components on the CST-100 spacecraft.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne press release.

Coverage:

• NASA Taps Three Companies To Develop New Spacecraft (Los Angeles Times)
• Rocketdyne Gets Good News on Space Vehicle Program (San Fernando Valley Business Journal)
• SpaceX, Boeing Big Winners in NASA Competition for New Spacecraft (McClatchy-Tribune News Service)
• NASA Awards $1.1 Billion to 3 Companies to Develop Spacecraft (Washington Post)

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Successfully Completes CCDev-2 Hot-Fire Testing on Thruster for NASA's Commercial Crew Program

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests on a service module thruster for Boeing's Commercial Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft. The CST-100 spacecraft, designed to transport people to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations, is in development under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

The Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control System (OMAC) thruster is a key component for safe, reliable and affordable commercial crew transportation. It is designed for multiple uses, including maneuvering the CST-100 spacecraft during orbit and re-entry, and providing axial thrust, roll control and separation from the launch vehicle if an abort becomes necessary.

Click here to read Pratt & Whitney's press release.

Coverage:

• Pratt completes thrust test on space station craft (Hartford Business Journal)
• Thruster Tests Completed for Boeing's CST-100 (Space Fellowship)
• Rocketdyne finishes Boeing CST-100 thruster testing (Flight International)
• Boeing says its space taxi engines have passed a testing hurdle (Huntsville Times)
• Thruster Tests Completed for Boeing's CST-100 (NASA)

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Successfully Completes Latest Hot-Fire Test on Launch Abort Engine for Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company, successfully completed a full-mission duration hot-fire test on a Launch Abort Engine (LAE) for Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft. The CST-100 spacecraft, designed to transport people to the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit destinations, is in development under NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program.

The Service Module and Integrated Launch Abort propulsion system is a critical system for safe, reliable and affordable commercial crew transportation. It is designed to push the crew capsule to safety if an abort is necessary. If unused for an abort, the same propellant load can be used for other parts of the mission, including re-boosting the space station orbit. The LAE test was conducted in the California desert.

Click here to read the Pratt & Whitney press release.

Coverage:

• PWR Analyzing CST-100 Abort Engine Tests (Aviation Week)
• Latest Hot Fire Test on Launch Abort Engine for Boeing CST 100 Spacecraft Completed (Space Travel)
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Hot-Fires Launch Abort Engine (Space Fellowship)
• Pratt & Whitney Tests Abort Engine for New Spacecraft (San Fernando Valley Business Journal)
• Boeing commercial spacecraft hits major milestones (Flight International)
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Hot-Fires Launch Abort Engine (Product Design & Development)