Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne demonstrated the consistent reliability of its power and propulsion systems by successfully boosting the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which will travel to the red planet to assess its habitability.

The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The Atlas V is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 booster engine, and the Centaur upper stage is powered by the Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine.

Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne has powered 14 successful launches this year with payloads that included humans; cargo; and satellites vital to space exploration, worldwide communication, navigation, defense, research and development, and weather prediction.

RD AMROSS LLC is a joint venture of Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne and NPO Energomash.

"This successful launch adds to the decades and decades of reliability that the RL10 has shown in placing payloads into space," said Jim Maus, director, hypersonic and expendable propulsion programs, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne.

"Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne remains committed to 100 percent mission success, and we look forward to working with our partners in future missions."

"The Mars Science Laboratory marks another step in our collective quest for knowledge about Mars and its habitability; RD AMROSS is proud that the RD-180 booster engine contributed toward its successful launch," said Bill Parsons, president and CEO of RD AMROSS.

The rover, named Curiosity, is expected to land on Mars in August and operate for at least one Martian year, or 686 Earth days. During that time, the rover will assess whether the red planet is, or ever was able to support microbial life.

Curiosity will also analyze samples scooped up from the soil and drilled powders from rocks.

The rover will be more than five times as massive, carry more than 10 times the mass of scientific instruments as rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and explore a greater range than any previous Mars rover.

The Atlas V Centaur upper stage is powered by a single RL10A4-2 engine that delivers 22,300 pounds of thrust. The Atlas V Common Core booster is powered by the RD-180 engine and delivers nearly 1 million pounds of thrust.

The RS-180 is the only liquid oxygen/kerosene fueled engine with an oxygen-rich staged-combustion cycle flying in the United States today.