Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. announced that its Space & Missouri Defense Systems Business Unit (SMDS), a part of Kratos' Defense & Rocket Systems Division (KDRS), successfully conducted the first static test firing of the Zeus 1 solid rocket motor (SRM) at Aerojet Rocketdyne's Camden, Arkansas facility. Kratos, responding to the need for new affordable commercial SRMs to operate as launch vehicle stages for Kratos' research, hypersonic, ballistic missile target, and "other" vehicles, determined Zeus 1 and 2 motor requirements and standards, and through internal investments, funded the development of the Zeus SRM designs. The family of Zeus SRMs are designed and manufactured by Kratos' key merchant supplier partner Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Prior to firing, the Kratos Zeus 1 motor was cooled to the lowest planned operating temperature to evaluate motor performance under the most emphasizing ignition conditions. The Kratos Zeus 1 motor performed nominally throughout the test and preliminary hardware and data inspection confirms the robustness of the motor design and its applicability for multiple customer applications. The Kratos Zeus1 performance provides substantial improvement over similar legacy and heritage SRMs within the same relevant form factor, allowing existing payload designs and launch infrastructure to remain unchanged, while allowing rapid integration of new, technology leading systems and payloads, including those currently under development by Kratos.

These key and other attributes will provide Kratos' customers opportunities to fly more often, faster and farther, using fewer stages, at a substantially reduced cost. The Kratos Zeus one is the first of two high-performance 32.5-inch diameter solid rocket motors internally developed and funded under the Kratos Zeus Program, with the larger Zeus 2 motor scheduled for static test later this year.