BELFAST, Northern Ireland, March 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- European Space Propulsion (ESP), a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY) company, recently received a contract from Airbus Space and Defence and Thales Alenia Space for the development of a new ThermoThrottle to provide variable Xenon Flow Control (XFC) for the ESP XR-5E Hall Thruster, the European version of Aerojet Rocketdyne's Zero-Erosion™ Hall Effect Thruster. The contract was issued under the European Space Agency-sponsored NeoSat programme, an initiative strongly supported by the UK Space Agency. ESP intends to issue a subcontract for the development of the ThermoThrottle component to Moog-ISP UK, a leading European developer of space flow control components for electric propulsion systems.
"ESP is excited to bring an all-UK high-power Hall Thruster and XFC solution to the marketplace," said Paul Sinton, Managing Director of European Space Propulsion. "The global satellite community is moving towards increased use of high-power electric propulsion, and our solution enables the United Kingdom to play a vital role in the future of satellite propulsion."
ESP, a UK-registered company located in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is focused on providing in-space chemical and electric propulsion products for the European space market. The ThermoThrottle-based XFC, developed under this NeoSat Pre-Development programme, will be utilised with ESP's 5-kilowatt Hall Thruster to provide a unique Hall Thruster assembly that provides compatibility with European-manufactured Power Processing Units (PPUs) and results in reduced complexity and cost. The ESP-manufactured Hall Thruster assembly, designated as the XR-5E, will benefit from the proven satellite integration and extensive flight heritage of the Aerojet Rocketdyne XR-5, and the lower cost manufacturing environment in Northern Ireland.
European Space Propulsion is a provider of In-Space Propulsion products for the European space market. Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defence leader providing propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defence and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. GenCorp is a diversified company that provides innovative solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defence, and real estate markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at www.Rocket.com and www.GenCorp.com. For more information about ESP, visit www.espdeltav.co.uk.