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It's the commercial satellite launch market illustrated by this launch that Aerojet Rocketdyne's new engine is designed to serve. The company will build the new engine in Alabama and have it operational in 2019. (File)

Aerojet Rocketdyne said Monday it will produce a new rocket engine in Huntsville, Ala., resulting in 100 new jobs.

The new engine, the ARI, is the latest engine in the company's stable of liquid rocket motors. It is aimed at replacing the Russian RD-180 engine now used by some American launch companies.

The company says it is already testing engine systems and is on schedule to deliver a certified engine in 2019. That's the year Congress has ordered rocket companies to stop using the Russian engine.

"Our world-class workforce is very excited to rapidly bring the AR1 engine into production - it will support the Trump administration's efforts to make our military strong again," said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. "The AR1 rocket engine is crucial to ensuring America's assured access to space and making U.S. launch vehicles competitive across the globe."

Drake said that, "Given the top-tier talent at the University of Alabama in Huntsville's Propulsion Research Center, the exceptional level of rocket engine expertise at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and at our teammate, Dynetics, and in the local community, Huntsville is the logical choice to locate the new production work on the AR1 engine."

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) praised the announcement in a statement late Monday.

"Aerojet Rocketdyne's announcement that it is bringing 100 new jobs to Huntsville is excellent news for our state," Shelby said. "North Alabama's world-class workforce and long history of supporting our nation's space and defense needs makes the area an attractive location for companies looking to grow. I am pleased that Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to expand its presence in Huntsville, and I look forward to working with them and other businesses to bring economic development to Alabama."

"With our rich history in the space program, Marshall Space Flight Center's role as NASA's propulsion hub, our smart workforce and active industry base in the R&D sector, Huntsville is ideally suited to manufacture this advanced rocket engine," Mayor Tommy Battle said. "We look forward to seeing production begin in the Rocket City."

(updated Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. to include Mayor Tommy Battle's statement)