COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3764

Space Propulsion Units and Parts

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

24companies1915–1990founding years18still active6no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedGenCorp Inc.FoundedGenCorp Inc.FoundedGenCorp Inc.
1915
FoundedSundstrand CorporationFoundedSundstrand Corporation
1926
FoundedRockwell International Corporation
1928
FoundedThiokol CorporationFoundedThiokol Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedRohr Incorporated
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedMoog Inc.FoundedMoog Inc.
1951
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedTalley Industries, Inc.
1960
FoundedLockheed Martin CorporationFoundedLockheed Martin Corporation
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedBritish Aerospace plc
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedDaimler-Benz Aerospace AGFoundedDaimler-Benz Aerospace AG
1989
FoundedOrbital Sciences Corporation
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
Thiokol Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1929
Thiokol Corporation is the world's largest producer of solid rocket motors and other parts for the aerospace and…
Thiokol Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1929
Thiokol Corporation is the world's largest producer of solid rocket motors and other parts for the aerospace and…
Rohr Incorporated →
Active · founded 1940
Rohr Incorporated is the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft engine parts, including nacelles, cowlings, pylons,…
Rohr Incorporated →
Active · founded 1940
Rohr Incorporated is the world's leading manufacturer of aircraft engine parts, including nacelles, cowlings, pylons,…
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Talley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Talley Industries Inc.
Talley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Talley Industries Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Formed in 1995 via the union of the nation's second- and third-ranking defense contractors, Lockheed Corporation and…
Lockheed Martin Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Formed in 1995 via the union of the nation's second- and third-ranking defense contractors, Lockheed Corporation and…
British Aerospace plc →
Defunct · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
British Aerospace plc →
Defunct · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
Orbital Sciences Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1990
Orbital Sciences Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is an unrivaled, leading-edge space technology company…
Orbital Sciences Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1990
Orbital Sciences Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is an unrivaled, leading-edge space technology company…
Build It Today

Starting a space propulsion units and parts company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.