Northrop Grumman to Perform Aging Surveillance on Deactivated Minuteman and Peacekeeper Missile motors

Northrop Grumman has won a $86 million US Air Force contract for Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) Peacekeeper and Minuteman Solid Rocket Motor Aging Surveillance.

The contract includes component dissection, motor plugging, propellant properties testing and hazards analysis and overall program support, the company said in a statement Thursday.

In addition, the RSLP contract provides for special studies and additional component development or testing on an as-required basis.

Retired Minuteman and Peacekeeper motors are used for a variety of purposes, including government launches for the Minotaur series of rockets, Missile Defense Agency missions, test launches such as next year’s Ascent Abort-2 NASA Orion and Launch Abort System test flight, and sounding rockets, the company stated further.