Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced today that it has signed an agreement with leading European green propulsion technology firm ECAPS to fully develop, demonstrate and market a high performance green propulsion (HPGP) system. The HPGP system, which offers significant cost advantages and dramatically reduces the environmental risks associated with traditional monopropellants, is aimed at both attitude control and main propulsion.
“We are excited to be able to bring safer, more effective and affordable propulsion systems to the United States,” said Pat Nolan, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Missile Products Division of the Defense Systems Group. “Greener propulsion is one of the keys to making access to space safer while lowering life cycle costs. We believe our partnership will go a long way toward developing innovative and practical solutions for public and private use.”
Orbital ATK’s team will leverage exclusive use of ECAPS’ LMP-103S, a very-low toxicity monopropellant technology designed as a direct replacement for hydrazine-based systems. LMP-103S offers significantly higher specific impulse and density, meaning greater performance and lower volume. More importantly, it is a low-toxicity, environmentally-benign propellant, providing enhanced safety and health benefits over conventional hydrazine. It offers the promise of propellant loading prior to satellite transport and considerably lower logistics cost.
The partnership continues Orbital ATK’s commitment to HPGP technology, which includes scaling up the blending of LMP-103S, successful tests of 5 and 22 Newton thrusters, and supporting several Small Business Innovation Research programs.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group is an industry leader in providing innovative and affordable precision and strike weapons, advanced propulsion and hypersonics, missile components across air-, sea- and land-based systems, ammunition and related energetic products.
