STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA supported acceptance testing Saturday on an Aerojet AJ26 flight engine that will power the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II space launch vehicle. The test of the AJ26 engine supports Orbital Sciences' effort to demonstrate its commercial cargo transportation system in preparation for future International Space Station cargo resupply missions. NASA has partnered with Orbital as part of the agency's ongoing Commercial Orbital Transportation Services initiative. The test on the E-1 Test Stand at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center was performed by a team of Orbital, Aerojet, and Stennis engineers. Once test data has been reviewed and verified, the engine will be sent to the Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia for integration with the Taurus II rocket's first-stage core. Orbital is scheduled to carry out the first of eight cargo missions to the space station in early 2012. (Source: NASA, 03/21/11)
