QM-1

Nasa and ATK have installed the first Space Launch System (SLS) booster qualification motor, QM-1, in a test stand in Utah in preparations for its static-fire test in March.

Said to be the largest-of-its-kind solid rocket motor, the QM-1 and four RS-25 engines will propel SLS off the launch pad.

Lying horizontally in the test stand, the five-segment motor is being positioned at 90°, to test its temperature capabilities against the required range.

The QM-1 is said to generate 3.6 million pounds of thrust when fired.

ATK space launch division vice-president and general manager Charlie Precourt said: "The QM-1 static test is an important step in further qualifying this new five-segment solid rocket motor for the subsequent planned missions to send astronauts to deep space.

"Testing before flight is critical to ensure reliability and safety when launching crew into space."

"Testing before flight is critical to ensure reliability and safety when launching crew into space."

ATK is preparing the rocket to accumulate measurements on more than 500 data channels, which will help evaluate motor performance, acoustics, motor vibrations, nozzle modifications, insulation upgrades and avionics command and control performance.

Precourt said: "While we made modifications to our booster for Nasa’s new SLS, during the 30 years of the Space Shuttle Programme, we also constantly monitored and improved our design."

The SLS and Nasa’s Orion spacecraft are designed to provide a deep space exploration platform to send humans to multiple destinations across our solar system.

The first flight test of Orion has been completed in December, covering around 3,600 miles, farther than a human spaceflight vehicle has travelled in the last four decades.

Called Exploration Mission-1, the first test flight of SLS will use two ATK five-segment solid rocket motors.

Image: The first qualification motor for Nasa’s Space Launch Systems booster at ATK’s test stand in Utah. Photo: courtesy of ATK / PRNewswire.