SIC 3764 Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Units and Propulsion Unit Parts
SIC 3764
This industry consists of establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing guided missile propulsion units and propulsion unit parts. This industry also includes establishments owned by manufacturers of guided missile and space vehicle propulsion units and parts and primarily engaged in research and development on such products, whether from enterprise funds or on a contract or fee basis. Research and development on guided missile and space propulsion units, on a contract or fee basis by establishments not owned by manufacturers of guided missile and space vehicle propulsion units and parts are classified in SIC 8731: Commercial Physical and Biological Research.
336415
Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing
In 2003 U.S. manufacturers of propulsion units, engines, and propulsion unit parts for guided missiles and space vehicles recorded $2.65 billion in net sales. Approximately 25 percent of this total was attributable to civilian markets, while military applications accounted for $1.99 billion. The industry was suffering from a lag in spending on space exploration, as well as a decreasing number of satellite launches. Dominated by just a few companies, the propulsion industry was expected to undergo restructuring as the U.S. space program was scheduled to be reorganized under President George W. Bush's ambitious plans to return to the moon by 2020.
There are two basic types of propulsion systems used for guided missiles and space vehicles—solid-fueled and liquid-fueled engines. Solid-fueled engines were more commonly used because liquid fuels require storage at very low temperatures. Other rockets produced by this industry included hybrid rockets, which use a combination of solid and liquid fuel systems, small propellant rockets for adjusting the altitude of space vehicles, and rockets for track-borne research sheds. By the end of the century the industry was seeking a method to propel vehicles for longer and further space exploration. Nuclear fission, sun laser/solar sails, and anti-matter were just a few methods being researched in the 2000s.
Establishments in this industry generally were subcontractors for producers of complete guided missiles and space vehicles. Primary contractors and subcontractors were hired by a single customer. The industry's shipments manufactured under government contracts primarily were for the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA. The balance of the industry's shipments manufactured for private sector companies were used in producing propulsion and engine systems to launch commercial satellites.
Propulsion units and engines were often referred to as "rockets." Rockets were believed to have originated in China during the thirteenth century, soon after the invention of gunpowder. Rockets appeared in Europe in the early fourteenth century but did not see regular military use until the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Rockets during this period still used some form of gunpowder for propulsion. It was not until the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that modern rocketry, using stored fuels, was first developed.
World War II witnessed the first guided missiles and military aircraft powered by propulsion systems. During the war, only the Germans used propulsion guided missiles, though other countries possessed the technological capabilities. It was not until after the war that other countries, including the United States, developed these systems.
The development of the propulsion units used in ballistic missiles enabled the launching of the first space vehicles into orbit by the end of the 1950s. Another significant development in propulsion systems came in the 1970s, concurrent with the first designs for space shuttles. These engines were built with propulsion units that either jettisoned off the spacecraft or were permanently fixed and reusable.
Rockets using nuclear and solar fuel sources were also tested for space missions. Nuclear propulsion was first developed in the 1960s and was considered 20 years later for missions to Mars, but concerns about space debris kept this system in the experimental stages. Solar propulsion appeared promising for its ability to run an engine at tremendous cost savings.
Entering the 1990s, the guided missile and space vehicle...
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