Northrop Grumman’s commercial solid rocket motor products build upon flight-proven heritage and leverage commonalities to continuously improve and expand motor families at a low-cost and with high reliability and repeatable performance.
CASTOR® Motors
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Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM)
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The CASTOR® rocket motor premiered as a second-stage motor to boost the Scout X-1 rocket for NASA in September 1960. Since then, Northrop Grumman has used the base technology from four generations of ballistic missile boosters, and the technology and experience from expendable launch vehicle programs, to expand the CASTOR series. The family of motors has grown to include ten flight-ready first-and second-stage and strap-on solid rocket motors that serve space launch, sounding rockets and the missile defense targets market. CASTOR motor variations support Northrop Grumman Minotaur-C vehicles, and the latest generation CASTOR 30XL motor propels the upper stage of Antares for cargo resupply missions to the International Space Station.
Northrop Grumman began developing the Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM) in the early 1980s with the GEM 40 to increase launch capability for the Delta II launch vehicle, followed by the GEM 46, used on the Delta III and Delta II Heavy, and GEM 60 for the Delta IV Medium-Plus vehicle. The fourth-generation GEM 63 booster flew its inaugural flight on the Atlas V in November 2020, and the company began testing the extended-length GEM 63XL variant, the longest monolithic rocket motor produced to date, in August 2020 to serve the Vulcan Centaur vehicle.
Northrop Grumman continues to incorporate updated technologies and its unique filament winding process to leverage heritage, flight-proven designs for high quality, low-cost and reliable strap-on booster variations.
The Orion product line began with three stages designed for Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus® and grew to support various Taurus®, Pegasus XL, and Minotaur® configurations, as well as the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor. New applications continue to evolve to support the Missile Defense Agency’s target vehicle configurations for the medium-range ballistic missile, intermediate-range ballistic missile, and intercontinental ballistic missile classes. The multiple configurations and applications of the Orion motor family demonstrate these flight-proven motors’ adaptability, reliability and versatility.
Since their first flight in 1990, Orion motors have supported over 11 different launch vehicles and over 100 launches from virtually every platform for a diverse range of customers and missions with zero flight failures. With 14 motor variations – 10 flight-proven and 2 qualified for flight – nearly 500 Orion motors have been delivered to customers.
With 60-plus years experience, we have the infrastructure, technology and capabilities to support nearly every phase of space launch manufacturing and offer a variety of commercial services:
Nondestructive Testing: X-Ray
Nondestructive Testing: Hydro Proof
Aging and Surveillance
Thermal Protection Systems
Conceptual Design and Analysis
Engineering Services
Flight Performance
Thrust Vector Control (TVC) Systems
Flight Termination Ordnance System (FTOS)
Virtual Reality Lab Services
Field Services and Support
Test Services
Test and Research Services
Northrop Grumman Test and Research Services specializes in custom testing of inert and energetic materials and components ranging from ammunition and hand grenades to the largest solid rocket motors in the world. The company’s cost structure can support small, commercial tests, large complex government contracts, and everything in-between.
