Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aerospace, Defense
Predecessor	Aerojet, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Founded	2013
Headquarters	Palm Bay, Florida , United States
Area served	Space exploration, defense, civilian and commercial sectors
Key people	Kenneth L. Bedingfield (President)
Products	Rocket, hypersonic, and electric propulsion technologies
Number of employees	5,200+
Parent	L3Harris Technologies

Aerojet Rocketdyne operates as a subsidiary of the American defense corporation L3Harris, specializing in the production of rocket, hypersonic, and electric propulsion technologies serving space exploration, defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Formed in 2013 through the consolidation of Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, the company’s heritage extends back to the General Tire and Rubber Company (later GenCorp), founded in 1915, and Rocketdyne, which originated in 1955 as part of North American Aviation. For the fiscal year 2022, Aerojet Rocketdyne recorded revenues totaling $2.24 billion, with operating profits of $145 million and net earnings amounting to $74 million. The corporate headquarters is located in Palm Bay, Florida, employing a workforce exceeding 5,200 individuals under the leadership of President Kenneth L. Bedingfield. In July 2023, L3Harris completed its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 billion, enhancing its aerospace propulsion capabilities and broadening its international footprint.

Aerojet Origins

General Tire & Rubber, initially focused on rubber manufacturing, diversified into broadcasting and aerospace industries over several decades.

During the 1940s, Aerojet initiated rocket development projects and collaborated with General Tire & Rubber on solid-fuel rocket binder formulations. Concurrently, General Tire expanded its media portfolio by acquiring radio networks starting in 1943 and purchasing WOR-TV in 1952; it subsequently acquired RKO Radio Pictures in 1953. These media properties were consolidated under the RKO General division.

General Tire’s aerospace ventures resulted in substantial land acquisitions in California. Aerojet-General Corporation secured approximately in Eastern Sacramento County, converting former gold mining territories into a leading facility for rocket production and testing. Much of this territory functioned as safety buffer zones but has since been earmarked for redevelopment. Plans include developing roughly into the Easton community project, overseen by Easton Development Company LLC.

Rocketdyne Background

Rocketdyne was established in 1955 when North American Aviation separated its rocket motor division, building upon advancements made with V-2 rocket technology after World War II. The company became a principal supplier to NASA, manufacturing engines such as the F-1 used on the Saturn V launch vehicle during the Apollo missions and the RS-25 engine powering both the Space Shuttle and Space Launch System (SLS).

Engines produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne have been integral to every successful NASA mission to Mars, including critical operations during the Perseverance rover expedition.

Corporate Renaming

In 1984, General Tire created GenCorp, Inc. as a holding entity to manage its varied business interests.

Major subsidiaries encompassed:

• General Tire and Rubber
• RKO General, overseeing broadcast operations;
• DiversiTech General, manufacturing tennis balls and polymer-based goods such as automotive sound insulation and wall coverings;
• Aerojet General, a defense contractor focused on missile systems.

Through RKO General, GenCorp maintained investments in:

• Frontier Airlines;
• RKO bottling companies distributing Pepsi-Cola products alongside ownership of several resorts including Tucson's Westward Look resort.

Corporate Streamlining

Confronted with a hostile takeover bid and regulatory obstacles, GenCorp divested several key divisions during the late 1980s.

RKO General faced difficulties renewing its FCC licenses due to regulatory breaches, which led GenCorp to begin divesting its broadcasting assets starting in 1987.

Additionally, the company sold its prominent General Tire division to the German firm Continental AG, shifting its strategic emphasis toward Aerojet.

In 1999, GenCorp separated its Decorative & Building Products and Performance Chemicals units into a publicly traded entity named OMNOVA Solutions Inc.

By 2008, GenCorp’s main operations consisted of Aerojet and Easton Real Estate.

Pension challenges and executive transitions

During the real estate surge between 2006 and 2007, GenCorp withdrew assets from its overfunded pension plan but encountered a $300 million shortfall following the market collapse. This situation prompted a pension freeze effective February 1, 2009, along with the discontinuation of the 401(k) matching contributions on January 15, resulting in annual savings near $29 million.

In March 2008, Steel Partners II—a hedge fund owning 14% of GenCorp—secured CEO Terry J. Hall's resignation and obtained control of three board seats plus CEO appointment authority after expressing dissatisfaction with the company’s financial results. Aerojet President J. Scott Neish was named interim CEO.

Scott Seymour, previously leading Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems, was appointed as GenCorp’s permanent CEO in January 2010; Neish stepped down shortly thereafter.

Growth in aerospace sector

In July 2012, GenCorp agreed to purchase rocket engine producer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne from United Technologies Corporation for $550 million. The Federal Trade Commission approved the acquisition in June 2013, and the transaction was completed soon after. Subsequently, on April 27, 2015, GenCorp rebranded itself as Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc..

Terminated Lockheed Martin acquisition

On December 20, 2020, Lockheed Martin revealed plans to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.4 billion, anticipating closure in early 2022. Nevertheless, opposition from Raytheon Technologies combined with a unanimous FTC lawsuit aimed at blocking the deal—citing concerns over losing the largest independent rocket motor manufacturer—prompted Lockheed Martin to cancel the acquisition in February 2022.

Purchase by L3Harris

In December 2022, L3Harris Technologies agreed to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 billion in cash. The deal was completed in July 2023. Following the acquisition, L3Harris appointed former CTO Ross Niebergall as president of the newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne division, which is now based in Palm Bay, Florida.

Current Engines

• RS-25 (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – Initially designed as the reusable main engine for the Space Shuttle and created by Rocketdyne. The remaining RS-25D units will be utilized for early flights of the Space Launch System, with a disposable RS-25E version intended for subsequent missions.
• RL10 (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – Crafted by Pratt & Whitney, this engine powers the Centaur upper stage on the Atlas V and currently serves the SLS Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). It is also slated for use on the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). Historically, it has been employed on the Delta IV, Titan’s Centaur upper stage, and other spacecraft. Two RL10 engines provide thrust for ULA Vulcan’s Centaur V upper stage.
• R-4D (monomethylhydrazine/nitrogen tetroxide) – A hypergolic thruster originally designed for Apollo spacecraft modules. It now functions as secondary propulsion on the Orion European Service Module and as apogee motors on various satellites.
• MR103G — Hydrazine monopropellant thruster delivering 0.2 pounds of thrust
• MR111g — Hydrazine monopropellant thruster with 1 pound of thrust
• MR106L — Hydrazine monopropellant thruster producing between 5 and 7 pounds of thrust
• MR107M — Hydrazine monopropellant thruster rated at 45 pounds of thrust
• Blue Origin CCE (solid rocket motor) — Aerojet Rocketdyne manufactures the Crew Capsule Escape Solid Rocket Motor used in Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle.

Former Production Engines and Additional Models

• Rocketdyne F-1 (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – The primary engine for the Saturn V first stage during the Apollo missions; recognized as the most powerful single-chamber liquid-fueled rocket engine ever developed.
• Rocketdyne J-2 (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – Utilized on upper stages of Saturn IB and Saturn V launch vehicles.
• SJ61 (JP-7 fuel/air-breathing) – A dual-mode ramjet/scramjet engine tested on the Boeing X-51 hypersonic demonstrator aircraft.
• AJ10 (Aerozine 50/nitrogen tetroxide) – Served as the second stage engine for Delta II, powered the Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System, and functions as the main engine on the European Orion Service Module.
• AR1 (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – A proposed staged combustion cycle engine delivering 500,000 pounds of thrust with an oxidizer-rich design.
• Rocketdyne H-1 (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – Engine powering the first stage of Saturn I and Saturn IB rockets.
• RS-27 (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – First stage propulsion system for Delta 2000 series launch vehicles.
• RS-27A (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – Provided thrust for first stages of Delta II and Delta III rockets.
• RS-68 (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – The largest hydrogen-fueled engine flown to date; served as first stage propulsion for Delta IV and was simplified from RS-25 for expendable applications.
• J-2X (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – Developed for Ares I upper stage and considered for SLS Exploration Upper Stage before being superseded by a cluster of RL10 engines; based on Rocketdyne’s J-2 design.
• Baby Bantam (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – A 5,000-pound thrust engine notable for being fully produced using 3D printing technology.
• AJ-26 (RP-1/liquid oxygen) – Modified Russian NK-33 engines that powered Antares’ first stage before replacement by RD-181 engines.
• AJ-60A (solid propellant, HTPB-based) – Solid rocket motor formerly integrated into Atlas V boosters; replaced in 2021 by Northrop Grumman’s GEM-63 motors.
• AR-22 (liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen) – Developed between 2017 and 2020 to support the XS-1 Phantom Express spaceplane; derived from RS-25 components. The project ended following Boeing’s withdrawal in 2020.

X3 ion thruster

On October 13, 2017, Aerojet Rocketdyne achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating the X3 ion thruster, a vital element of the XR-100 system developed for the NextSTEP initiative. Created by the University of Michigan in collaboration with NASA and the Air Force, the X3 is a Hall-effect thruster designed to operate at power levels exceeding 100 kW. It established new benchmarks for peak power output, thrust generation, and current operation, functioning across a range from 5 kW up to 102 kW with currents reaching 260 amperes. The thruster produced a record thrust of 5.4 newtons, the highest recorded for any plasma propulsion device. Its unique architecture incorporates three concentric plasma channels. The entire assembly weighs 227 kilograms and spans nearly one meter in diameter.

Multi-mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

Aerojet Rocketdyne acts as the primary contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy on the Multi-mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). This power unit currently provides energy to both the Mars Curiosity Rover and the Perseverance Rover involved in the Mars 2020 mission.