[SatNews] Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, has revealed that its propulsion systems played a major role in successfully placing the sixth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS-6) spacecraft into orbit for the U.S. military.

The mission was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV medium rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion included an RS-68 booster engine, an RL10B-2 upper-stage engine and multiple spacecraft attitude control thrusters. During launch, the rocket was boosted off the pad by the powerful RS-68 engine, with 758,000 pounds of vacuum thrust and 663,000 pounds of sea-level thrust.

A single RL10B-2 engine delivered 24,750 pounds of thrust to power the upper stage, which was powered by cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. For more than 50 years, the RL10 has been one of the United States' most reliable upper-stage engines, accumulating one of the most impressive lists of accomplishments in the history of space propulsion and has played an integral role in placing numerous military, government and commercial satellites into orbit, and powering space-probe missions to nearly every planet in the solar system.

Twelve Aerojet Rocketdyne monopropellant (hydrazine) thrusters in four modules on the Delta IV upper stage provided roll, pitch and yaw control as well as settling burns for the upper stage main engine. The Aerojet Rocketdyne's High Performance Apogee Thruster (HIPAT) was used for orbit insertion.

The WGS satellites are part of a larger system that increases military communications capabilities for U.S. and allied forces deployed worldwide. They help support the exchange of information, execution of tactical command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.