More Big Aerospace Cannibalism: LockMart Swallows Aerojet Rocketdyne
Aerojet Rocketdyne to be Acquired by Lockheed Martin in $5.0 Billion All-Cash Transaction, Aerojet Rocketdyne
“We are pleased to bring together our complementary companies in a transformative transaction that will provide premium cash value for our shareholders and tremendous benefits for our employees, customers and partners,” said Eileen P. Drake, CEO and President of Aerojet Rocketdyne. “Joining Lockheed Martin is a testament to the world-class organization and team we’ve built and represents a natural next phase of our evolution. As part of Lockheed Martin, we will bring our advanced technologies together with their substantial expertise and resources to accelerate our shared purpose: enabling the defense of our nation and space exploration. On behalf of the Aerojet Rocketdyne Board and management team, I’d like to thank all of our employees for their unwavering dedication and focus in helping us achieve this great milestone.”
Keith’s note: Every time one of these big aerospace dinosaurs eats another dinosaur they promise that there will be increased value to the customers etc. Except it never happens. Costs always go up and projects are always delayed. Stockholders may realize some profit but the customers (taxpayers) invariably have to spend more money for the same products.
Lockheed Martin now owns Aerojet Rocketdyne (Aerojet and Rocketdyne merged a few years ago) which means they control all SLS propulsion except for the SRBs and they build Orion. Boeing oversees SLS. Northrop Grumman ate Orbital ATK which was formed when Orbital Sciences and ATK merged. They control Cygnus and Antares and the SLS SRBs. So the SLS is now built by 3 companies that used to be 7 just a few years ago. Oh yes – Lockheed Martin co-owns United Launch Alliance with Boeing. ULA is going to use Blue Origin engines. Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman formed the HLS “National Team”. Just keep this in mind when the whole Artemis project gets revisited in a few months because it costs too much and is years behind schedule.
More of a reason to move away from SLS and Orion. We need new blood.
The political lobbying power will be superior.
Well with consolidation they can cut a few c suite folks loose and concert that into lobbyist money.
Even more more concentrated
graftgrift.Perhaps one of the many reasons Elon Musk keeps SpaceX private.
Thank God for SpaceX.
Does anyone really believe the whole Artemis story.
Never going to happen.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Cheers
Neil
Could be re-badge SpaceX Starships for all phases of the Artemis program. Especially if the #dearMoon Lunar flyby happens more or less on schedule.
We all know like things work, but it will be surreal to witness the Artemis/Gateway system existing alongside an operational Starship with times the cabability and at a fraction of the cost of the former. You can mantain business as usual until this point, talk about heritage, confiability, even jobs, but if there’s a time when each system can be compared side by side, it will be nuts.
First Starship landing on the moon will carry an Orion and a National Team lander as ballast.
“Just keep this in mind when the whole Artemis project gets revisited in a few months because it costs too much and is years behind schedule.” … one would like to say you’re wise beyond your years … but, nah, you’ve been around this block a couple of times, like many of us.
It’s good that you put BO in the same bucket. They’ve gone OldSpace.
In April 2018 BO said their BE-4 would complete qual tests by years end. Well, we all know how that turned out.
SpaceX’s Raptor has been flying test flights since July 2019.
Let us consolidate and then prices will come down… honest . really..trust us
That’s what all participants of mega-mergers claim.
I wonder what new ideas have been lost as aerospace behemoths acquire one company after another in their quest to dominate the marketplace?