Orbital ATK and ECAPS Sign
Agreement on Breakthrough
Propulsion Technology
Orbital ATK, Inc. has
signed an agreement with leading
European green propulsion
technology firm ECAPS to fully
develop, demonstrate and market
a high performance green
propulsion (HPGP) system. The
HPGP system, which offers
significant cost advantages and
dramatically reduces the
environmental risks associated
with traditional
monopropellants, is aimed at
both attitude control and main
propulsion.
"We are excited to be able to bring
safer, more effective and affordable
propulsion systems to the United
States," said Pat Nolan, Vice President
and General Manager of Orbital ATK's
Missile Products Division of the Defense
Systems Group. “Greener propulsion is
one of the keys to making access to
space safer while lowering life cycle
costs. We believe our partnership will
go a long way toward developing
innovative and practical solutions for
public and private use.”
Orbital ATK’s team will leverage
exclusive use of ECAPS’ LMP-103S, a
very-low toxicity monopropellant
technology designed as a direct
replacement for hydrazine-based systems.
LMP-103S offers significantly higher
specific impulse and density, meaning
greater performance and lower volume.
More importantly, it is a low-toxicity,
environmentally-benign propellant,
providing enhanced safety and health
benefits over conventional hydrazine. It
offers the promise of propellant loading
prior to satellite transport and
considerably lower logistics cost.
The partnership continues Orbital
ATK’s commitment to HPGP technology,
which includes scaling up the blending
of LMP-103S, successful tests of 5 and
22 Newton thrusters, and supporting
several Small Business Innovation
Research programs.
Orbital ATK’s Defense Systems Group
is an industry leader in providing
innovative and affordable precision and
strike weapons, advanced propulsion and
hypersonics, missilecomponents
across air-, sea- and land-based
systems, ammunition and related
energetic products.
