Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne To Receive $60.3 For Ongoing Support

NASA has awarded a $60.3 million contract to Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to provide continued Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) pre-launch, launch and post-launch support through March 31, 2011.  The contract is an extension to the current space shuttle program flight manifest launch schedule, which shifted the last two scheduled launch dates for missions STS-133 and STS-134 to fiscal year 2011.

"The extension means NASA will be able to complete the next two space shuttle missions that are critical to completing the International Space Station, allowing it to achieve its full potential and ensuring it remains viable until at least 2020," said Jim Paulsen, SSME program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.  "Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a close partner with NASA and a strong contributor to the nation's human spaceflight program.  We look forward to continuing to work together to help advance human space exploration now and in the future."

The SSME is the world's most sophisticated, high-performance reusable rocket engine that is capable of lifting heavy launch vehicles.  Since its first flight in 1981, the SSME has achieved 100 percent mission success with more than one million seconds of hot-fire experience.  As the most highly-tested large rocket engine ever built, the SSME sets the foundation for further U.S. space exploration.

FMI: www.prattwhitneyrocketdyne.com