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Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Successfully Completes Hot-Fire Tests on New RS-68A Rocket Engine

Bryan Kidder
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
818 586-2213
bryan.kidder@pwr.utc.com

Carri Karuhn
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
818 586-4963
carri.karuhn@pwr.utc.com

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25, 2008 - Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company, has begun a series of hot-fire tests on the new RS-68A rocket engine, designed to power heavier payloads than currently possible on the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle.

The RS-68A is a modified version of the RS-68, a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen booster engine used on United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV family of launch vehicles. Like the RS-68, three RS-68A engines will be used to boost a Delta IV Heavy rocket, but each RS-68A engine will provide 702,000 pounds of thrust, or 39,000 more pounds of thrust than a single RS-68 engine.

“We are extremely pleased with the results from the initial tests. Completion of the total test series will provide engineers the data needed to fully analyze engine performance, to verify compliance with requirements, and to ensure 100-percent mission success,” said James Tibble, RS-68A engine project manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “We look forward to the RS-68A engine powering launch vehicles into space with even greater power and performance.”

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.