ATK to perform ground test

Leader Staff

A test of a GEM-60 solid rocket motor will take place Thursday, Sept. 6, with the firing scheduled from 11:15 a.m., at the ATK Aerospace facility in Promontory.

The 60-inch diameter graphite epoxy motor is a commercially provided, reliable, low-cost propulsion system measuring 43 feet in length. The motor will be cooled to 30 degrees to measure solid rocket motor performance at low temperatures.  The horizontal ground test firing of the motor should produce a maximum thrust of approximately 270,00 pounds.

The objective is to also test the GEM-60 fixed nozzle qualification at cold temperatures.  The brand new nozzle is now being built by ATK.

A public viewing area is available along SR 83, approximately 20 miles west of Corinne.

GEM-60 motors have successfully boosted ULA’s Delta IV M+ launch vehicles since 2002.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2012 at 10:38 am and is filed under Local. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.