Five Northrop Grumman Corporation 63-inch-diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) solid rocket boosters helped successfully launch the U.S. Space Force (USSF)-51 mission for the USSF Space Systems Command aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.

• Five GEM 63 boosters supporting the Atlas V represents the most powerful configuration of the rocket.
• The boosters provided approximately 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, with each motor contributing about 375,000 pounds of additional thrust to help the national security payload reach the desired orbit.
• In addition to the GEM boosters, Northrop Grumman provided the propellant tanks for the Centaur Upper Stage reaction control system as well as large composite structures for the ULA Atlas V launch vehicle including the heat shield, the Centaur interstage adapter and the boattail.

Jim Kalberer, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman: “Our GEM 63 rocket motors deliver reliable, proven propulsion for customers’ most meaningful missions. From missiles that protect the homeland to rocket motors that provide access to space, power exploration and promote discovery, we are providing advanced propulsion systems our customers need now.”

Northrop Grumman is investing in technology and scaling its facilities to deliver critical propulsion capabilities. The company is nearing completion on several new solid rocket motor manufacturing facilities that will support production of multiple propulsion products, including the GEM boosters. The newly constructed buildings will support nearly every phase of SRM manufacturing including propellant mixing and casting, composite case manufacturing, final assembly and integration of subcomponents, material storage and motor shipping. The expansion of the company's manufacturing facilities will augment existing capabilities and support increased production rates for several programs and customers including GEM boosters for ULA.

Northrop Grumman has supplied rocket propulsion to ULA and its heritage companies for various launch vehicles since 1964. The GEM family of strap-on motors started in the early 1980s with the GEM 40, which supported 132 Delta II launches with over a thousand motors. To date, 32 GEM 63 boosters have supported nine Atlas V launches and two GEM 63XL boosters supported the inaugural flight of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.

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