Orbital

Nasa has tested a booster designed for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at Orbital ATK’s test facilities in Promontory, Utah, US.

The test has marked the second and final ground qualification test of the solid rocket booster designed for SLS, which will conduct the first unmanned test flight with Nasa’s Orion spacecraft in late 2018 and eventually undertake the agency’s proposed journey to Mars.

During the two-minute test, Nasa has been able to receive crucial data on 82 qualification objectives that will support certification of the booster for flight.

The rocket booster, built by Nasa contractor Orbital ATK, was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 40°F and when ignited, temperatures inside the booster reached around 6,000°.

Nasa Washington human exploration and operations mission directorate associate administrator William Gerstenmaier said: "This final qualification test of the booster system shows real progress in the development of the Space Launch System.

"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."

Once completed, two five-segment boosters and four RS-25 main engines will power SLS on future deep-space missions.

The solid rocket boosters operate in parallel with SLS’s main engines for the first two minutes of flight and will provide more than 75% of the thrust required by the rocket and Orion spacecraft to escape Earth’s gravitational pull.

"This final qualification test of the booster system shows real progress in the development of the Space Launch System."

Nasa Alabama Marshall space flight centre SLS programme manager John Honeycutt said: "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 Centre 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."

Last March, first full-scale booster qualification ground test was conducted.

The initial SLS configuration will be able to lift at least 70t capacity, while the next planned upgrade of SLS will have a 105t lift capacity.

Image: The second and final qualification motor test for the Space Launch System’s booster conducted in the US. Photo: courtesy of Nasa.