L3Harris Technologies has bought Aerojet Rocketdyne, one of the leading manufacturers of liquid rocket engines in the USA and the world, a competitor of the Russian Research and Production Association (NPO) Energomash. This is reported by SpaceNews.
The purchase of the developer and manufacturer of RS-25 engines used as the main ones on the superheavy Space Launch System (SLS) rocket by L3Harris Technologies will cost $ 4.7 billion. The corresponding decision, adopted on December 18, must be approved by American regulators. The publication assures that it will receive the necessary support.
SpaceNews recalls that Lockheed Martin Corporation previously tried to buy L3Harris Technologies for $ 4.4 billion, but this attempt was blocked by the US Federal Trade Commission, which saw signs of antitrust violations in it.
In May 2017, SpaceNews reported that the American Aerojet Rocketdyne intended to start mass production of AR1 engines by 2019, which were to replace the Russian RD-180 installed on the first stage of the Atlas V rocket.
Subsequently, it became known that the United States would abandon the Atlas V in favor of the Vulcan rocket.
