Aerojet Engines Power Japanese HTV Mission to International Space Station

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept 17, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that the HII Transfer Vehicle (HTV) -- the first of the Japanese re-supply vehicles for the International Space Station (ISS) -- successfully rendezvoused and was captured by the ISS today.

The HTV launched on Sept. 11 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan aboard an H-IIB launch vehicle carrying up to 6,000 kg. of supplies. When the HTV approached the ISS, the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), known as "Canadarm2," grappled and captured the HTV.

After food, clothes and a variety of experiment equipment and other supplies are unloaded, the HTV will be loaded with waste materials, including used experiment equipment and clothes. The HTV will then undock and separate from the ISS and re-enter the atmosphere. While the HTV is berthed to the ISS, the ISS crew will be able to enter and remove the supplies from the HTV Pressurized Logistics Carrier.

In support of the mission, Aerojet provided all of the rocket engines aboard the HTV - four model R-4D liquid bipropellant (100 lbf thrust) main engines and 28 model R-1E (25 lbf thrust) reaction control engines. The R-4Ds are primarily used for Delta-V raising and orbital maneuvers, while the smaller R-1Es are used for attitude control during docking.

"Aerojet is pleased to support its international partners," said Steve Harper, Aerojet's manager for the bipropellant rocket engine product line. "The launch of the first of the HTV Transfer Vehicles is the culmination of a 10-year relationship between Aerojet and the HTV program and we wish them much success in their partnership with the International Space Station program." Aerojet's R-4D bipropellant main engines are a derivative of the engines flown on Apollo. They are used for achieving orbit on many geosynchronous satellites and also will be used on the next generation Orion Service Module. The R-4D engines were also delivered to the prime contractor, EADS Astrium, for use on the Jules Verne ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle), which is the European ISS re-supply vehicle.

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets.

Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.

SOURCE Aerojet URL: http://www.GenCorp.com

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