Aerojet, a GenCorp company, announced its key role in the successful launch of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying NASA’s Juno spacecraft on a mission towards Jupiter.

Launching in a 551 configuration, Aerojet provided 1.9 million lbs. of liftoff thrust from five solid rocket boosters (SRBs), eight retro-rockets for the Centaur separation from the Atlas common core booster, 12 reaction control thrusters for the Centaur upper stage as well as 12 monopropellant hydrazine rocket engine assemblies (REAs) fixed to the Juno spacecraft.

Aerojet’s SRBs on the Atlas V vehicle are 67-feet long and provide a liftoff thrust of 380,000 lbs. each. Aerojet SRBs have flown in previous vehicle configurations using one, two, three and five boosters. This was the 13th successful Atlas V launch with Aerojet SRBs.