Posted: Tue, Jul 17, 2007, 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)
NASA formally signed a contract Monday for the development of a new engine that will power the upper stages of its two new launch vehicles. The contract with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne covers the development and testing of the J-2X engine, a derivative of the J-2 engine used on the Saturn 1 and 5 rockets and a later simplified version, the J-2S. NASA plans to use the J-2X in the upper stages of the Ares 1 rocket, which will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle, as well as the Ares 5, the heavy-lift vehicle that will launch the lunar lander and Earth departure stage needed for missions to the Moon later next decade. The $1.2-billion contract runs though the end of 2012 and includes the delivery of a number of engines for testing; operational engines will be procured under a separate contract.
