Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has delivered the first two 63-inch-diameter extended length Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
The solid rocket boosters will support the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket planned for first quarter 2023. At approximately 72-feet-long, and weighing over 117,000 pounds, the GEM 63XL is the longest monolithic single-cast solid rocket motor ever produced.
Together the two boosters will provide nearly one million pounds of additional thrust for ULA’s Vulcan rocket with each booster contributing over 463,200 pounds of thrust at launch.