Aerojet Rocketdyne’s scope of activities
The US military-industrial corporation Lockheed Martin announced the acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne. The latter specializes in the production of engines for rockets. Initially LM offered to buy out the company’s shares for $56 each, but during the negotiations Aerojet representatives decided to pay an additional $5 per share to each of its shareholders. According to this, the share price was reduced to $51, and now the manufacturer is valued at $4.6 billion. During the deal, Lockheed Martin will pay $4.4 billion in cash.
It should be noted that the companies have been cooperating on aerospace projects for a long time. Aerojet is the supplier of systems that LM uses for the missile defense system called Next Generation Interceptor.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is a division of Aerojet Corporation, it develops liquid-propellant rocket engines, it has several divisions in different states of the United States. It was founded by North American Aviation, which was considered the leader in the United States in the production of aircraft. In 1967 it merged with Aerojet, which resulted in a division of Rockwell. Ten years later, the latter was bought by Boeing Aviation Corp. In 2005, the division was taken over by another company, Pratt & Whitney, which in turn was bought by Aerojet in 2013. As a result, the manufacturer was named Aerojet Rocketdyne.
In 2019, the manufacturer was selected by NASA as one of the developers of prototypes for vehicles that will be used for lunar missions. This is carried out as part of the U.S. national lunar program.
Rocketdyne originally studied German technology after World War II. The division adapted the engines of German aircraft carriers for use in U.S. aircraft. In addition, the company was involved in the Navaho project, which was actively developed during the Korean War. The most famous development of Rocketdyne at that time was the engine A-5, which was used for launch vehicles.
Another key product was the S3D liquid-propellant rocket engine, part of the Jupiter and other ballistic missiles.
In addition, Rocketdyne collaborated with NASA on the Saturn project, the company produced engines for rockets, and until the 70s it was the main supplier of this type of equipment. Rocketdyne also develops control and power systems for nuclear power and created components for ISS devices. The company is actively developing renewable energy, producing solar generators and more.
Becoming a part of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the scope of Rocketdyne activity could expand. Most likely, the company will increase development of rocket engines and power supply systems for various equipment.
