NASA and Orbital ATK [OA] on Tuesday performed their second qualification motor test for the Space Launch System (SLS).
The 154 foot-long, 12 foot in diameter booster fired for two minutes, six seconds at a pre-chilled temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an Orbital ATK statement. Orbital ATK General Manager and Vice President of Propulsion Systems Charlie Precourt said Tuesday in a press briefing as long as the motor fires for two minutes, six seconds, the vast majority of work has been completed as this is the duration the rocket will fire in when it powers crew beyond low earth orbit (LEO).
The booster for Tuesday’s test was pre-chilled to 40 degrees Fahrenheit over the last month to mimic the extreme cold the rocket would face when it fires in space on a deep space mission. This test is known as QT-2.
The previous qualification motor test, QT-1, took place in the spring. For this test, the booster was fired at the upper end of the propellant temperature range of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Bill Gerstenmaier said Tuesday that the qualification motor test essentially shows that this design is ready to go fly and perform the mission as it was designed.
Gerstenmaier said there are over 500 channels of data for the NASA team to pore through as it studies the qualification motor test. Alex Priskos, manager of the NASA SLS boosters office, said Tuesday the agency team had a chance to look at some “very preliminary data” after the test and that everything looked “great.” The boosters will eventually power SLS on deep space exploration missions.
In other SLS news, Gerstenmaier said the new booster segments for the uncrewed EM-1 mission are starting to be caste. Precourt said three of the five booster segments have been through casting and several others are in processing to be cast. An external hydrogen tank, Gerstenmaier said, is also almost through qualification. He said the hydrogen tank is almost welded and ready to go into qualification testing.
In Orion news, Gerstemaier said the capsule is undergoing final outfitting in preparation for the EM-1 launch in 2018. He said NASA has another structural test article for Orion being manufactured and that the welding is “coming together.” Orion is slated to be flown with crew in the “roughly” 2021 timeframe, Gerstemaier said.
NASA just completed a critical design review (CDR) for the European Service Module (ESM), Gerstenmaier said, and that there is some integration work that will wrap up in October. He said the European Space Agency (ESA) has been cleared to start manufacturing the service module, which will provide electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen as well as keeping the spacecraft at the right temperature and on course. The ESM is ESA’s contribution to SLS and Orion.