AJ-60A

AJ-60A is a solid rocket booster produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne. They are currently used as strap-on boosters on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

AJ-60A
An AJ-60A booster, without nosecone attached, being fitted to an Atlas V
ManufacturerAerojet Rocketdyne
Country of originUSA
Used onAtlas V
General characteristics
Height17.0 m (669 in)
Diameter1.6 m (62 in)
Gross mass46,697 kg (102,949 lb)
Engine details
Thrust1,688.4 kN (379,600 lbf)
Burn time94 seconds
FuelHTPB

History

The AJ-60A rocket motor was developed between 1999 and 2003 for use on the Atlas V.[1] In 2015, ULA announced that the Atlas V will switch to new GEM 63 boosters produced by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. A stretched version of this booster will be used on the upcoming Vulcan rocket.[2]

On January 19, 2006 the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto was launched directly into a solar-escape trajectory at 16.26 kilometers per second (58,536 km/h; 36,373 mph) from Cape Canaveral using an Atlas V version with 5 of these SRBs and Star 48B thirdstage .[3] New Horizons passed the Moon's orbit in just nine hours.[4][5]

Design

AJ-60A is a solid fueled rocket burning HTPB.[6] The casing is composed of a graphite epoxy composite, and the engine throat and nozzle are made of carbon-phenolic composite. As configured for use on Atlas V, the nozzle is fixed at a 3 degree cant away from the attachment point, but Aerojet offers a variant with thrust vectoring capability.[1] The Atlas V configuration also features an inward slanting nosecone, but it is available with a conventional nosecone or none at all for use on other rockets. AJ-60A is the largest monolithic solid rocket motor currently in production. The stages are designed to be transported by truck.[6]

References
  1. "Atlas V Solid Rocket Booster". Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  2. Jason Rhian (23 September 2015). "ULA selects Orbital ATK's GEM 63/63 XL SRBs for Atlas V and Vulcan boosters". Spaceflight Insider.
  3. Scharf, Caleb A. (February 25, 2013). "The Fastest Spacecraft Ever?". Scientific American. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. Neufeld, Michael (July 10, 2015). "First Mission to Pluto: The Difficult Birth of New Horizons". Smithsonian. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  5. "New Horizons: Mission Overview" (PDF). International Launch Services. January 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  6. "Atlas V User's Guide 2010" (PDF). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
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