The move brings job security to some 3,000 workers in northern Utah and millions of dollars to the company whose solid-rocket boosters have sent Americans into space with the current space shuttle.

"We are really excited to continue working with them," ATK spokesman Bryce Hallowell said. "This gives us a couple of decades [guarantee] to maintain our solid rocket motor business out of Utah."

NASA, which has been searching for a new vehicle to replace the aging shuttle, said Monday it would return to a "stick" type vehicle reminiscent of the Apollo missions. Astronauts will be launched into space on top of a four-segment booster and they will parachute back to earth in a reusable pod that may end up landing somewhere in the western United States.

ATK's part of the current space shuttle is a $375 million annual contract and Hallowell expects that amount to stay the same or even increase as NASA prepares to send humans back to the moon and later to Mars.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, praised the decision.

"Utah has been a leader in space technology development for decades," Bennett said. "The latest decision by NASA to use ATK's launch system in future space explorations is further evidence of this."

ATK Thiokol had put on a full-court press to continue providing the booster for the new space shuttle, hiring seven former astronauts and an ex-congressman's firm to lobby.

NASA wants to have the new space vehicle ready to fly by 2012 and plans to have astronauts set foot on the moon again by 2018.

ATK also was tapped to provide the solid-rocket boosters for the space vehicle hauling cargo out of Earth's atmosphere. That vehicle would have five segments in its booster, giving it more thrust to launch 125 metric tons into space.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. heralded the announcement as "great news."

The governor, who ran on a platform of economic development, said the decision "further bolsters our efforts to grow our space technology industry cluster."

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said Monday that ATK is a "critical part of NASA's future success."

"The dedicated team at ATK Thiokol has worked tirelessly to help move the U.S. space program forward," Matheson said.

tburr@sltrib.com