castor30.wmv

Shown here is Alliant Techsystems' (ATK) newly developed CASTOR® 30 upper stage solid rocket motor being tested in the J-6 Large Rocket Motor Test Facility at the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center.

This was the longest rocket motor test ever in J-6 at more than 2 minutes.

A version of this motor is being used by Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) in its Taurus®( )II medium-class launch vehicle. It is slated to perform commercial cargo re-supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, to be demonstrated under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program for later delivery missions to the ISS under the Commercial Resupply Services contract. A slightly modified version of the CASTOR 30 is also being used as the basis for the third stage of the U.S. Air Force Large Class (92-inch) Stage (LCS) program. Other potential applications have also been identified.

The CASTOR 30 is designed to ignite at altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet. In order to accurately test the motor performance the static fire was conducted at AEDC using a vacuum chamber specially designed to simulate upper atmospheric conditions. All channels of data were collected which will allow ATK to validate their predictive models. The motor utilized a prototype version of a newly developed Electromagnetic (EM) Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system, manufactured by Moog Inc, to provide nozzle steering. This system, once qualified, will also have applications across multiple solid rocket motor product lines.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Castor 30
• ATK
• rocket testing
• rocket motor

[jhmoonman]

Are( ALL)these test rockets are facing EAST ward, as not to slow the earth down down any. It's slowing down fast enough from wind,moon n tide influences, isn't it??? Can any engineers answer me on this???

[jhmoonman]

Love it!