L3Harris Technologies — an American technology company, defence contractor, and information technology services provider based in Culpeper, Virginia — has achieved a significant milestone by successfully casting the jettison motor, a key component of the Launch Abort System (LAS) for
NASA’s Orion spacecraft for Artemis III and IV moon missions. The jettison motor is one of three solid rocket motors on the LAS that will help ensure the safety and success of the mission.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will make history by landing the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first international astronaut on the Moon’s surface. Artemis III will mark humanity’s return to the lunar surface after more than 50 years; Artemis IV is planned to be the first mission to the Gateway space station in lunar orbit.
Kristin Houston, L3Harris’s president of ‘Space Propulsion and Power Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne’, said: “Positioned atop NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the jettison motor is a rocket on top of a rocket. Its job is to outpace the massive SLS rocket during each mission. Engineered with precision and rigor, the jettison motor propels astronauts to safety in the most demanding of circumstances.
“During a nominal mission profile, the jettison motor fires for under 2sec and provides about 40,000 pounds of thrust to separate Orion’s LAS from the crew module and SLS rocket. Once the LAS separates from the crew module, the astronauts can continue their journey to the Moon.”
L3Harris’s Orange County site has extensive expertise in solid rocket motor technology in civil and defence applications and is one of several sites expanding its facilities to increase solid rocket motor production. Employees at the Huntsville, Alabama, site produced the Artemis III jettison motor case. The jettison motor is now undergoing further processing and inspection before delivery to Lockheed Martin for integration with NASA’s Orion spacecraft.