OREANDA-NEWS. Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc., has 32 MR-106 monopropellant hydrazine thrusters on the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft that was launched on Oct. 17. The Aerojet Rocketdyne thrusters play a critical role in the in-space maneuvering, three-axis control, berthing and re-entry of the Cygnus spacecraft during its mission to deliver supplies and materials to the International Space Station. Following in-orbit activation shortly after launch from Wallops Island in Virginia, the Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-106 monopropellant hydrazine thrusters on Cygnus began firing to perform the required in-orbit maneuvers to transport the vehicle to the station and begin docking operations.

"When it comes to providing materials and supplies needed by astronauts living onboard the International Space Station, you want propulsion that's reliable and dependable. Such is the case with our monopropellant hydrazine thrusters, which have an incredible track record for success with more than 15,000 delivered flight thrusters," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "Congratulations to everyone involved in this successful mission."

Aerojet Rocketdyne has delivered and flown more than 2,000 5-lbf monopropellant hydrazine thrusters over the past 40 years with 100 percent mission success. Similar in length to a small wine glass and weighing a little more than a pound, the thrusters have provided in-space propulsion for everything from commercial and government satellites, to transfer and upper stage vehicles.