- Northrop Grumman conducted a critical first ground test of its GEM-63XL motor on Thursday, August 13.
- The GEM-63XL motor powers the strap-on boosters that will eventually attach to United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket.
- This test footage rules.
Northrop Grumman's GEM-63XL motor roared to life yesterday under the piping-hot Utah sun. The solid rocket booster will eventually help propel United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, which is currently in production. Fortunately for us, the company unveiled some seriously stunning video footage of the test:
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During the 90-second qualification test, the 72-foot-long booster generated almost 449,000 pounds of thrust, according to a press release. This test, dubbed QM-1, was the first in a series of two static fire tests to qualify the booster for flight. The goal was to test the motor's robustness in cooler temperatures—40 degrees Fahrenheit, to be exact. Next up is the VM-1 test, where temps will reach up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
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The GEM-63XL builds upon Northrop Grumman's GEM-63 motor, three of which will launch attached to a ULA Atlas V rocket later this year, Space News reports. The GEM solid rocket booster model dates back to the early 1980s, and has helped push a number of vehicles into orbit, including ULA's Delta 2 Heavy and Delta 4.
The first stage of ULA's upcoming Vulcan Centaur rocket is powered by two BE-4 engines, supplied by Jeff Bezos's private space company, Blue Origin. The upper stage is powered by a pair of Aerojet Rocketdyne's RL-10 engines.
The rocket, which can produce a whopping 1,148,000 pounds of thrust at lift-off, can accommodate up to six of these solid rocket boosters. The rocket's highly-anticipated inaugural flight—currently scheduled for 2021—will deliver a lunar lander to the moon as part of NASA's Artemis mission.
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This week, the U.S. Space Force awarded a contract to ULA to launch 60 percent of its upcoming flights. (SpaceX was awarded the other 40 percent.) SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon Musk expressed his displeasure with the decision and shared some choice words for ULA:
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In response, Tory Bruno, the president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, took the high road:
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The Link LonkAugust 14, 2020 at 10:04PM
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This Rocket Test Footage Should Be NSFW - Popular Mechanics
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