UTC Power and Hamilton Sundstrand will ship Thursday their last fuel cell used to power systems aboard the final space shuttle orbiter, ending for the time being a 44-year alliance with the nation’s space program.
Both companies, divisions of United Technologies Corp. in Hartford, will mark delivery of the fuel cell to prime shuttle contractor United Space Alliance with a celebration Thursday at UTC Power in South Windsor, featuring hundreds of their employees and retirees.
Every manned space mission since 1966 has used fuel cell power plants built and maintained by UTC Power, UTC said. Hamilton Sundstrand, in Windsor Locks, assumed program management responsibility for the shuttle fuel cell program in 2009.
In 1973, UTC Power won the competition to develop fuel cell systems for the shuttle. Each shuttle has three fuel cells to provide electric power and drinking water. Since their first flight in April 1981, UTC Power fuel cells have logged more than 110,000 hours in space, the company said.
“The company’s roots are with the U.S. space program, but we’ve been busy ever since applying ultra clean fuel cell technology here on Earth for stationary and transportation applications,” said Joe Triompo, UTC Power vice president and general manager.
