Posted: Wed, Mar 23, 2011, 6:30 AM ET (1030 GMT)
A joint venture that manufactures launch vehicles is partnering with an entrepreneurial space company to develop a new upper stage engine. United Launch Alliance and XCOR Aerospace said this week they plan to jointly develop a new liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen upper-stage engine capable of producing 111,000-133,000 newtons (25,000-30,000 pounds-force) of thrust. That engine could be a potential replacement for the RL10 engine by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne currently used on the upper stages of ULA's Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets. ULA and XCOR have previously worked together on engine technology development efforts, including recent testing of a lightweight aluminum nozzle on an XCOR engine.

Related Links:

•  Wall Street Journal article
•  Space News article
•  Aviation Week article
•  XCOR press release