NEWS - Northrop Grumman to Conduct Ground Test Firing

Northrop Grumman previously conducted a static fire test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket motor. During the test, the 154-foot-long, five-segment rocket motor fired for just over two minutes, producing 3.6 million pounds of thrust. A similar test will be conducted Thursday. Courtesy Photo

PROMONTORY - July 16, 2022

On Thursday, July 21, Northrop Grumman Corporation will conduct a full-scale static test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket motor at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory test facility. The firing will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The SLS’s twin, five-segment rocket motors, are the largest, most powerful boosters ever built for flight and contribute more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s initial thrust at launch. SLS is the backbone of Artemis lunar exploration. Northrop Grumman is the lead contractor for the SLS solid rocket boosters.

This hot fire test will demonstrate a newly qualified motor initiation system and qualify a new nozzle phenolic ablative solvent material. The booster will be fired during the demonstration, called the Flight Support Booster 2 test, to evaluate materials and make improvements for future Artemis missions, and will provide early learning for the next generation Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension booster.