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Forum:Exploration: Asteroids, Moon and Mars
Topic:SLS: Flight Support Booster-1 static test
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Robert PearlmanNorthrop Grumman release

Robert PearlmanNASA live video
On Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 2:45 p.m. EDT (1845 GMT), we will test the solid rocket boosters for our Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built. This full-scale booster test will take place at the Northrop Grumman facilities in Promontory, Utah, and help engineers evaluate improvements and new materials in the boosters for deep space missions beyond Artemis III.
Robert PearlmanNASA release
NASA Conducts SLS Booster Test for Future Artemis Missions

As NASA begins assembling the boosters for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will power the first Artemis mission to the Moon, teams in Utah are evaluating materials and processes to improve rocket boosters for use on missions after Artemis III.

NASA completed a full-scale booster test for NASA's Space Launch System rocket in Promontory, Utah, on Sept. 2. NASA and Northrop Grumman, the SLS booster lead contractor, will use data from the test to evaluate the motor's performance using potential new materials and processes that can be incorporated into future boosters. NASA has a contract with Northrop Grumman to build boosters for future rocket flights.

"Landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon is just the beginning of NASA's Artemis Program," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "The SLS flight support booster firing is a crucial part of sustaining missions to the Moon. NASA's goal is to take what we learn living and working on the Moon and use it to send humans on the first missions to Mars."

For a little over two minutes — the same amount of time that the boosters power the SLS rocket during liftoff and flight for each Artemis mission — the five-segment flight support booster fired in the Utah desert, producing more than 3 million pounds of thrust.

NASA and Northrop Grumman have previously completed three development motor tests and two qualification motor tests. Today's test, called Flight Support Booster-1 (FSB-1), builds on prior tests with the introduction of propellant ingredients from new suppliers for boosters on SLS rockets to support flights after Artemis III.

"NASA is simultaneously making progress on assembling and manufacturing the solid rocket boosters for the first three Artemis missions and looking ahead toward missions beyond the initial Moon landing," said John Honeycutt, the SLS Program Manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "Today marks the first flight support booster test to confirm the rocket motor's performance using potential new materials for Artemis IV and beyond."

The SLS boosters are the largest, most powerful boosters ever built for flight. The flight support booster used in the test is the same size and has the same power as the flight version of a five-segment solid rocket booster used for NASA's Artemis missions. The Artemis I boosters are currently being prepared for launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"This flight support booster test is the first motor firing NASA and Northrop Grumman have completed since qualifying the booster design for the Space Launch System rocket," said Bruce Tiller, SLS Boosters Office Manager at Marshall. "Full-scale booster tests are rare, so NASA tries to test multiple objectives at one time so we are highly confident that any changes we make to the boosters will still enable them to perform as expected on launch day."

Robert PearlmanNorthrop Grumman release
Northrop Grumman Successfully Tests NASA's Space Launch System Booster for Artemis Missions

NASA and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) have successfully conducted a full-scale static fire test of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket motor, known as Flight Support Booster (FSB-1), in Promontory.

Above: NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully conducted a full-scale static fire test of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket motor, known as Flight Support Booster (FSB-1), in Promontory, Utah, on Sep. 2. During the test, the 154-foot-long, five-segment rocket motor fired for just over two minutes, producing 3.6 million pounds of thrust.

During the test, the 154-foot-long, five-segment rocket motor fired for just over two minutes, producing 3.6 million pounds of thrust. Two SLS boosters will provide more than 75 percent of the initial thrust for an SLS launch.

"NASA's Artemis missions, powered by Northrop Grumman boosters, will push the boundaries of what is possible for human exploration in space," said Charlie Precourt, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. "We have built, qualified and delivered flight hardware for Artemis I, and we are committed to the continuous improvement and testing of our products to provide the best solid propulsion to fuel NASA's missions to the moon and beyond."

The company developed this motor based on the flight-proven design of the space shuttle boosters with enhanced technologies and updated materials to support NASA's most powerful rocket to date. The new five-segment booster configuration provides 20 percent greater average thrust than the shuttle boosters, aiding in the SLS rocket's ability to deliver greater mass and volume by generating greater departure energy than any existing launch vehicle.

Prior to this test, NASA and Northrop Grumman conducted a series of ground tests beginning in 2010 to satisfy requirements for certification of the booster. FSB-1 evaluated ballistic parameters and performance of propellant materials from new sources, an upgrade to enable the booster to meet the high performance demands of SLS.

Northrop Grumman has delivered the first set of rocket motor segments for Artemis I boosters. The second set of motors for the Artemis II boosters are nearly complete, and rocket motor segments for Artemis III are in production. Materials evaluated in today's test could be used in missions following Artemis III.

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