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[b]Orbital ATK Prepares to Test World's Largest Solid Rocket Motor[/b] Orbital ATK will conduct the final qualification test for NASA's Space Launch System boosters on June 28, 2016 at its Promontory, Utah facility. This test, QM-2, is the second and final qualification test of the company's five-segment solid rocket motor that will launch SLS and the Orion crew capsule. In preparation for the test, which will assess the motor's performance in cold conditions, the booster has been chilling down to 40 degrees Fahrenheit since the first week of May. Last year's test, QM-1, verified the motor's performance at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Data provided from testing the booster at temperature extremes that may be experienced on the launch pad will help engineers understand how the propellant reacts in various conditions. During the 2-minute firing, the 154-foot-long booster will be secured in a horizontal position and will produce 3.6 million pounds of maximum thrust. NASA and Orbital ATK will take measurements from more than 530 data channels to check the motor's performance. After a successful QM-2 test, the motor will be qualified for flight. Two boosters will help propel the Space Launch System, which is scheduled for its first test flight in 2018. SLS, along with NASA's Orion spacecraft, provides the heavy lift capability needed to take humans and cargo to multiple destinations across our solar system.
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