DULLES, Va., 29 July 2016. Orbital ATK Inc. (NYSE:OA) in Plymouth, Minnesota, and European green propulsion technology firm ECAPS are partnering to develop, demonstrate, and market a high-performance green propulsion (HPGP) system. The HPGP system, which offers cost advantages and reduces environmental risks associated with traditional monopropellants, is aimed at attitude control and main propulsion.
“Greener propulsion is one of the keys to making access to space safer while lowering life-cycle costs,” says Pat Nolan, vice president and general manager of Orbital ATK's Missile Products Division of the Defense Systems Group. “We are excited to be able to bring safer, more effective, and affordable propulsion systems to the United States. We believe our partnership will go a long way toward developing innovative and practical solutions for public and private use.”
Orbital ATK’s team will leverage exclusive use of ECAPS’ LMP-103S, a very low toxicity monopropellant technology designed as a direct replacement for hydrazine-based systems. LMP-103S offers significantly higher specific impulse and density, meaning greater performance and lower volume. More importantly, it is a low-toxicity, environmentally-benign propellant, providing enhanced safety and health benefits over conventional hydrazine. It offers the promise of propellant loading prior to satellite transport and considerably lower logistics cost.
The partnership continues Orbital ATK’s commitment to HPGP technology, which includes scaling up the blending of LMP-103S, successful tests of 5 and 22 Newton thrusters, and supporting several Small Business Innovation Research programs, officials say.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group provides precision and strike weapons, advanced propulsion and hypersonics, missile components across air-, sea-, and land-based systems, ammunition, and related energetic products.
Founded in 2000, ECAPS’s focus is on green propulsion-based products for space applications, enabling simplified access to space for satellite and launcher systems. ECAPS holds a number of patents worldwide for a family of ADN (ammonium dinitramide)-based propellants, catalyst, thruster design and manufacturing methods. ECAPS has its development and hardware manufacturing facilities in Solna in the greater Stockholm area.
Orbital ATK, a provider of aerospace and defense technologies. , designs, builds, and delivers space, defense, and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems, and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the United States and in several international locations.
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