Aircraft

Rocket propulsion specialist Aerojet has test fired a large-scale controllable solid rocket motor, demonstrating a propulsion capability that could be used for flight control on NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle.

The ability to control the thrust and flow direction of a solid rocket motor allows the simplicity of solids to be combined with the flexibility of liquids, says Aerojet.

The internally funded tests demonstrated a high-power electromechanical valve control system enabling "faster responding, smaller and more reliable controllable solids" says the company.

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