Apogee kick motor Apogee kick motor An apogee kick motor (AKM) refers to a rocket motor that is regularly employed on artificial satellites to provide the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final (most commonly circular) orbit. For a satellite launched from the Earth, the rocket firing is done at the highest point of the transfer orbit, known as the apogee, thus giving the engine its name. An apogee kick motor is used, for example, for satellites launched into a geostationary orbit. As the vast majority of geostationary satellite launches are carried out from spaceports at a
Liquid apogee engine The apogee engine traces its origin to the early 1960s, when companies such as Aerojet, Rocketdyne, Reaction Motors, Bell Aerosystems, TRW Inc. and The Marquardt Company were all participants in developing engines for various satellites and spacecraft. Derivatives of these original engines are still used today and are continually being evolved and adapted for new applications. A typical liquid apogee engine scheme could be defined as an engine with: To protect the spacecraft from the radiant heat of the combustion chamber, these engines are generally installed together with a heat shield. Apogee engines typically use one fuel and one oxidizer.