The second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test for the
Space Launch System’s booster is seen, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK
Propulsion System's (SLS) test facilities in Promontory, Utah. During the SLS
flight the boosters will provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to
escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, the first step on NASA’s Journey
to Mars.
Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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A booster for the most powerful rocket in the world, NASA’s Space
Launch System (SLS), successfully fired up Tuesday for its second qualification
ground test at Orbital ATK's test facilities in Promontory, Utah. This was the
last full-scale test for the booster before SLS’s first uncrewed test flight
with NASA’s Orion spacecraft in late 2018, a key milestone on the agency’s
Journey to Mars.
“This final qualification test of the booster system shows real
progress in the development of the Space Launch System,” said William
Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations
Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Seeing this test
today, and experiencing the sound and feel of approximately 3.6 million pounds
of thrust, helps us appreciate the progress we’re making to advance human
exploration and open new frontiers for science and technology missions in deep
space.”
The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 40
degrees Fahrenheit –the colder end of its accepted propellant temperature
range. When ignited, temperatures inside the booster reached nearly 6,000
degrees. The two-minute, full-duration ground qualification test provided NASA
with critical data on 82 qualification objectives that will support
certification of the booster for flight. Engineers now will evaluate these
data, captured by more than 530 instrumentation channels on the booster.
When completed, two five-segment boosters and four RS-25 main
engines will power SLS on deep space missions. The solid rocket boosters, built
by NASA contractor Orbital ATK, operate in parallel with SLS’s main engines for
the first two minutes of flight. They will provide more than 75 percent of the
thrust needed for the rocket and Orion spacecraft to escape Earth’s
gravitational pull.
"Today's test is the pinnacle of years of hard work by the
NASA team, Orbital ATK and commercial partners across the country," said
John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Alabama. “SLS hardware is currently in production for every part of
the rocket. NASA also is making progress every day on Orion and the ground
systems to support a launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We're on
track to launch SLS on its first flight test with Orion and pave the way for a
human presence in deep space."
The first
full-scale booster qualification ground test was successfully completed in
March 2015 and demonstrated acceptable performance of the booster design at 90
degrees Fahrenheit – the highest end of the booster’s accepted propellant
temperature range. Testing at the thermal extremes experienced by the booster
on the launch pad is important to understand the effect of temperature on how
the propellant burns.
The initial SLS configuration will have a minimum 70-metric-ton
(77-ton) lift capability. The next planned upgrade of SLS will use a powerful
exploration upper stage for more ambitious missions, with a 105-metric-ton
(115-ton) lift capacity. In each configuration, SLS will continue to use the
same core stage and four RS-25 engines.
For more information about NASA’s Journey to Mars, visit:
For more information on SLS, visit: