spacetoday.net: Report: five companies bidding for Rocketdyne

Posted: Tue, Jun 8, 2004, 9:17 AM ET (1317 GMT)
Five companies have expressed an interest in purchasing Boeing's Rocketdyne propulsion unit, the Los Angeles Daily News reported Tuesday. Boeing has been shopping the unit to prospective suitors for several weeks, seeking a deal that could be worth $600 million. According to the Daily News article, Aerojet, ATK, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman have all expressed an interest in buying the unit; analysts quoted in the article believe that Aerojet or ATK would be the most likely buyer. Rocketdyne is best known for developing rocket engines, including the Space Shuttle Main Engine, the RS-27A engine for the Delta 2, and the RS-68 engine for the Delta 4. The unit also developed the power system for the International Space Station. Boeing acquired Rocketdyne in 1996 as part of a purchase of the aerospace units of Rockwell International.