Rocketdyne, a storied rocket engine developer that has been bought, merged and spun off multiple times, officially unveiled itself as a new standalone company on Aug. 4.
Sixty-one years after the U.S. launched its first and only reactor into orbit, space nuclear power and propulsion now appear central to U.S. space superiority.
L3Harris expects its new Missile Solutions unit, which combines Aerojet-Rocketdyne with critical missile systems, to generate $4.4 billion in revenue this year.
AE Industrial Partners will buy a majority stake in the RL-10 upper-stage rocket and space nuclear propulsion businesses from L3Harris for $507 million.
The long-duopolistic solid rocket motor market dominated by Northrop Grumman and Aerojet Rocketdyne is transforming into a competitive multiplayer industry.
NASA also floated the idea that the nuclear reactor might be contracted as an “end-to-end service” from development, launch, landing to operations on the Moon.
A new kind of air vehicle is entering the U.S. military arsenal, capable of performing several roles including strike, reconnaissance and target decoy duties.
As the first U.S. hypersonic weapons enter service, defense officials are searching for new ideas for high-speed propulsion and to dramatically reduce prices.
