Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne has successfully completed a series
of tests on a thruster destined for Boeing's Commercial Space
Transportation spacecraft, designated CST-100. Boeing is one of
several companies working to develop crew transportation
capabilities under the Commercial Crew Development Round 2
agreement with NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The goal of the
program is to help spur innovation and development of safe,
reliable and cost-effective spacecraft and launch vehicles
capable of transporting astronauts to low Earth orbit and the
International Space Station. Twenty-four thrusters will be part
of the spacecraft's orbital maneuvering and attitude control
system (OMAC), giving the CST-100 the ability to maneuver in
space and during re-entry. The thrusters also will allow the
spacecraft to separate from its launch vehicle if an abort
becomes necessary during launch or ascent. "Boeing and Pratt and
Whitney Rocketdyne know what it takes to develop safe systems
and subsystems," said NASA Commercial Cr