The Air Force is continuing its push to find a domestic replacement for a Russian-made rocket engine for its satellite launches, awarding two new contracts for an alternative engine.
The service has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $115.3 million contract for development of the company”s booster-stage AR1 rocket propulsion system prototype and United Launch Services a $46.6 million deal to develop its booster-stage Vulcan BE-4 and upper-stage Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) rocket propulsion system prototype, according to a Defense Department announcement.