L3Harris Technologies has reached a significant milestone by successfully casting the jettison motor, an essential component of the Launch Abort System (LAS) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, designated for the Artemis III and IV missions. The jettison motor is one of three solid rocket motors integral to the LAS, which is critical for ensuring mission safety and success.
NASA’s Artemis missions are set to make history by landing the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first international astronaut on the Moon’s surface. Artemis III will represent humanity’s return to the lunar surface after more than 50 years, while Artemis IV will be the inaugural mission to the Gateway space station in lunar orbit.
“Positioned atop NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, the jettison motor is a rocket on top of a rocket. Its job is to outpace the massive SLS rocket during each mission,” said Kristin Houston, President of Space Propulsion and Power Systems at Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. “Engineered with precision and rigor, the jettison motor propels astronauts to safety in the most demanding of circumstances.”
During a nominal mission profile, the jettison motor ignites for less than two seconds, delivering approximately 40,000 pounds of thrust to separate Orion’s LAS from the crew module and SLS rocket. This separation is crucial, allowing astronauts to continue their journey to the Moon.
L3Harris’ Orange County site, known for its extensive expertise in solid rocket motor technology for both civil and defense applications, is one of several facilities expanding to boost solid rocket motor production. The jettison motor case for Artemis III was produced at the Huntsville, Alabama, site. The motor is now undergoing further processing and inspection before being delivered to Lockheed Martin for integration with NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
