Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Rocket Engine Powers Latest GPS Satellite into Space

CANOGA PARK, Calif.– A new Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite was carried into orbit Saturday by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A rocket engine. The RS-27A performed perfectly as it boosted the ULA Delta II and its GPSIIR-19 payload from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, marking the 221st flight for the RS-27 family of rocket engine systems and the 332nd Delta mission. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) is a United Technologies Corp. [NYSE:UTX] company.

“Today’s launch continues our partnership with the ULA and the U.S. Air Force as the GPSII constellation is modernized and improved,” said RS-27A program manager Elizabeth Jones. “We’ve provided first-stage power for every GPSII mission and we will continue to work hard to ensure the critical missions of our customers are successful.”

During the mission, the RS-27A engine system fired for nearly four and a half minutes and produced 200,000 pounds of thrust before transitioning to the rocket’s second stage power source.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.