NASA’s SLS booster passes major milestone
A booster for the most powerful rocket in the world, NASA’s Space
Launch System (SLS), successfully fired up on June 28 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 in late 2018.
“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. “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.”
The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 40
degrees Fahrenheit. When ignited, temperatures inside the booster
reached nearly 6,000 degrees. The two-minute, full-duration ground
qualification test provided NASA with critical data, captured by more
than 530 instrumentation channels on the booster.
Credit: NASA
48
48
www.RocketSTEM .org