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)
  

UTC Celebrates $1 Billion Investment in Employee Scholar Program

United Technologies believes strongly in the value of lifelong learning. That’s why the Employee Scholar Program was established in 1996 – to support employees in reaching their career and educational goals. A workforce that embraces lifelong learning is best prepared to compete in the fast-changing global marketplace.

A highly educated, innovative workforce is absolutely critical to UTC's success. To make it happen, UTC has invested more than $1 billion over the past 15 years, paying up front all costs of tuition, fees and books – and that goes for employees pursuing a college degree in any field of their choosing.

Employees in more than 50 countries around the world have seized the opportunity, earning more than 32,500 degrees through the program. Today there are more than 10,000 UTC employees around the world enrolled.

Coverage:

• UTC Marks $1 Billion Employee Education Milestone (Hartford Courant)
• Give UTC Credit For Employee Education (Editorial - Hartford Courant)
  
• United Technologies celebrates higher ed program (Boston Globe, via AP)
• Gov. Malloy Makes A Stop In Simsbury (Simsbury Patch)
• Malloy tells Obama about job creation in state (The Day)