AJ26 shuts down early in test

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - An Aerojet AJ26 engine, the propulsion system for one of NASA's commercial space-cargo haulers, shut down early in a test firing at the Stennis Space Center. The test was conducted Thursday on the E-1 Test Stand. The AJ26 is the main engine for Orbital Science Corp.'s Taurus 2 rocket, which will launch the company's Cygnus capsule for commercial resupply missions to the international space station. Orbital and Aerojet are investigating the cause, and Stennis will perform checkouts to the facility to ensure its operational integrity. "This is the reason we test engines here at Stennis before they are installed on launch vehicles," said David Liberto, AJ26 engine project manager at Stennis. Three AJ26 have been successfully test fired to date. (Source: NASA, Space News, 06/10/11)