P/W Rocketdyne gets Ares I/V 2nd stage

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Not unexpected, but now official;<br /><br />Link....<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p><b>Upper stage engine contract awarded for Ares rockets</b><br /><br />NASA NEWS RELEASE<br />Posted: July 16, 2007<br /><br />WASHINGTON - NASA has signed a $1.2 billion contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne Inc., of Canoga Park, Calif., for design, development, testing and evaluation of the J-2X engine that will power the upper stages of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles.<br /><br />The contract includes ground and test flight engines. It continues work that began on June 2, 2006, under a preliminary letter contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne.<br /><br />NASA awarded the cost-plus-award fee contract to Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne on a sole-source basis, NASA determined that no other existing capability meets its architecture requirements and is able to be extended to future exploration missions to the moon and beyond.<br /><br />The contract performance period extends through Dec. 31, 2012. Engines for operational missions will be purchased through a separate contract.<br /><br />The J-2X is an evolved version of two historic predecessors: the powerful J-2 engine that propelled the Apollo-era Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets, and the J-2S, a simplified version of the J-2 that was developed and tested in the early 1970s. Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne designed and developed both the J-2 and the J-2S and has been responsible for producing, refurbishing and improving them. The J-2X engine will incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher performance and reliability requirements for the Ares vehicles.<br /><br />Ares I is an in-line, two-stage rocket that will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low Earth orbit. Orion will accommodate as many as six astronauts. The first stage will consist of a single reusable solid propellant rocket booster similar to those used</p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

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So 1.2 billion USD is being spent to...<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>...incorporate significant upgrades to meet higher performance and reliability requirements for the Ares vehicles. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>“An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.” John F. Kennedy</em></p> </div>