
A booster for the most powerful rocket in the world has been fired up in the Utah desert.

The key component of Nasa's Space Launch System successfully fired up for its second qualification ground test at Orbital ATK's test facilities in Promontory, Utah.

It is the last full-scale test for the booster before SLS's first uncrewed test flight with NASA's Orion spacecraft in late 2018, a key milestone on the agency's Journey to Mars.

Scroll down to watch the test

The key component of Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS), successfully fired up for its second qualification ground test at Orbital ATK's test facilities in Promontory, Utah. The two-minute, full-duration ground qualification test provided NASA with critical data on 82 qualification objectives that will support certification of the booster for flight.

ORION'S NEXT TEST Nasa's Orion stacked atop a 70 metric ton Space Launch System rocket will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in November 2018. The uncrewed Orion will travel into Distant Retrograde Orbit, breaking the distance record reached by the most remote Apollo spacecraft, and then 30,000 miles farther out (275,000 total miles). The mission will last 22 days and will test system readiness for future crewed operations. Advertisement

Crowds gathered to watch the test, which Nasa hailed as a success.

'This final qualification test of the booster system shows real progress in the development of the Space Launch System,' said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

'Seeing this test today, and experiencing the sound and feel of approximately 3.6 million pounds of thrust, helps us appreciate the progress we're making to advance human exploration and open new frontiers for science and technology missions in deep space.'

The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 40 degrees Fahrenheit –the colder end of its accepted propellant temperature range.

When ignited, temperatures inside the booster reached nearly 6,000 degrees.

The two-minute, full-duration ground qualification test provided NASA with critical data on 82 qualification objectives that will support certification of the booster for flight.

Engineers now will evaluate these data, captured by more than 530 instrumentation channels on the booster.

When completed, two five-segment boosters and four RS-25 main engines will power SLS on deep space missions.

The solid rocket boosters, built by NASA contractor Orbital ATK, operate in parallel with SLS's main engines for the first two minutes of flight.

They will provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed for the rocket and Orion spacecraft to escape Earth's gravitational pull.

The Space Launch System's booster is seen a few hours ahead of the second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah.

'Today's test is the pinnacle of years of hard work by the NASA team, Orbital ATK and commercial partners across the country,' said John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

'SLS hardware is currently in production for every part of the rocket. NASA also is making progress every day on Orion and the ground systems to support a launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

'We're on track to launch SLS on its first flight test with Orion and pave the way for a human presence in deep space.'

The first full-scale booster qualification ground test was successfully completed in March 2015 and demonstrated acceptable performance of the booster design at 90 degrees Fahrenheit – the highest end of the booster's accepted propellant temperature range.

The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 40 degrees Fahrenheit –the colder end of its accepted propellant temperature range.

The test area where the second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test for the Space Launch System's booster is seen through the window of a camera bunker, Sunday, June 26, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah.

Testing at the thermal extremes experienced by the booster on the launch pad is important to understand the effect of temperature on how the propellant burns.

The initial SLS configuration will have a minimum 70-metric-ton (77-ton) lift capability.

The next planned upgrade of SLS will use a powerful exploration upper stage for more ambitious missions, with a 105-metric-ton (115-ton) lift capacity.

In each configuration, SLS will continue to use the same core stage and four RS-25 engines.

When completed, two five-segment boosters and four RS-25 main engines will power SLS on deep space missions. The solid rocket boosters, built by NASA contractor Orbital ATK, operate in parallel with SLS's main engines for the first two minutes of flight.

Earlier this year Nasa successfully tested the first deep space RS-25 rocket engine for 500 seconds March 10, in a 'major milestone toward the next great era of space exploration.

The next time rocket engine No. 2059 fires for that length of time, it will be carrying humans on their first deep-space mission in more than 45 years.

'What a great moment for NASA and Stennis,' said Rick Gilbrech, director of NASA's Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Testing at the thermal extremes experienced by the booster on the launch pad is important to understand the effect of temperature on how the propellant burns.

Nasa's Orion stacked atop a 70 metric ton Space Launch System rocket will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in November 2018.

'We have exciting days ahead with a return to deep space and a journey to Mars, and this test is a very big step in that direction.'

The hot fire marked the first test of an RS-25 flight engine for NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS), being built to carry humans on future deep-space missions, including an asteroid and Mars. Four RS-25 engines will help power the SLS core stage.

The engines used on initial SLS missions are flight engines remaining from the Space Shuttle Program, workhorse engines that are among the most proven in the world, having powered 135 space shuttle missions from 1981 to 2011.

For the SLS vehicle, the engines will fire at 109 percent thrust level and provide a combined two million pounds of thrust.

'Not only does this test mark an important step towards proving our existing design for SLS's first flight,' said Steve Wofford, engines manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where the SLS Program is managed for the agency, 'but it's also a great feeling that this engine that has carried so many astronauts into space before is being prepared to take astronauts to space once again on SLS's first crewed flight.'

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne, the prime contractor for RS-25 engine work, conducted a series of developmental tests on the RS-25 engine last year at Stennis, primarily to validate the capabilities of a new controller – or, 'brain' – for the engine and to verify the different operating conditions needed for the SLS vehicle.

Following today's firing, Stennis and Aerojet Rocketdyne will conduct a development engine series to test new flight engine controllers and will continue to test RS-25 flight engines.

In addition, the agency is preparing the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis to test the SLS core stage that will be used on the rocket's first flight, Exploration Mission-1.

Nasa has successfully tested the first deep space RS-25 rocket engine for 500 seconds March 10, in a 'major milestone toward the next great era of space exploration. The next time rocket engine No. 2059 fires for that length of time, it will be carrying humans on their first deep-space mission in more than 45 years.

Testing will involve installing the flight core stage on the B-2 stand and firing its four RS-25 rocket engines simultaneously.

'One more powerful step forward accomplished on the SLS journey,' said Ronnie Rigney, RS-25 project manager at Stennis. 'It really feels great to be part of such an important program in our nation.'

In 2018, Nasa's Orion capsule will fly 43,000 miles beyond the moon and back in a vital test of its systems.

Now, in a step towards that goal, its manufacturer Lockheed Martin says its has installed Orion into something known as the 'birdcage'.

The engines used on initial SLS missions are flight engines remaining from the Space Shuttle Program, workhorse engines that are among the most proven in the world, having powered 135 space shuttle missions from 1981 to 2011.

This is its structural assembly tool and will be used by engineers in Florida to test and outfit the spacecraft ahead of its launch in 2018.Scroll down for vide

'The structure shown here is 500lbs lighter than its Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) counterpart,' said Mike Hawes, Lockheed Martin Orion vice president and program manager.

'Once the final structural components such as longerons, bolts and brackets are added, total crew module structural weight savings from EFT-1 to EM-1 will total 700lbs.'

The Orion spacecraft arrived in Florida on Monday on Nasa's massive Super Guppy aircraft, which has a 156 feet wingspan.

At the Kennedy Space Center, the crew module will undergo several tests to ensure the structure is perfectly sound before being integrated with other elements of the spacecraft.

First it will undergo proof-pressure testing where the structural welds are stress tested to confirm it can withstand the environments it will experience in space.

Once the crew module passes its structural tests it will undergo final assembly, integration and entire vehicle testing in order to prepare for EM-1, when Orion is launched atop Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) for the first time. Pictured is the SLS in comparison to other rockets

The team will then use phased array technology to inspect the welds to make sure there are no defects.

Additional structural tests will follow including proof-pressure testing of the fluid system welds followed by x-ray inspections.

Once the crew module passes those tests it will undergo final assembly, integration and entire vehicle testing in order to prepare for EM-1, when Orion is launched atop Nasa's Space Launch System (SLS) for the first time.

Nasa's Orion stacked atop a 70 metric ton Space Launch System rocket will launch from a newly refurbished Kennedy Space Center in November 2018. The uncrewed Orion will travel into Distant Retrograde Orbit, breaking the distance record reached by the most remote Apollo spacecraft, and then 30,000 miles farther out (275,000 total miles)

Orion will undergo proof-pressure testing where the structural welds are stress tested to confirm it can withstand the environments it will experience in space. The team will then use phased array technology to inspect the welds to make sure there are no defects. Additional structural tests will follow including proof-pressure testing of the fluid system welds followed by x-ray inspections

The test flight will send Orion into lunar distant retrograde orbit – a wide orbit around the moon that is farther from Earth than any human-rated spacecraft has ever travelled.

It will be be controlled remotely as it flies 43,000 miles (70,000 km) beyond the moon.

The mission will last about three weeks and will certify the design and safety of Orion and SLS for future human-rated exploration missions.

In December, a video released by Nasa revealed exactly how Orion's first major trip into space in 2018 will unfold.

The video shows how the spacecraft will extend solar arrays measuring 62 feet (19m) once it reaches low Earth Orbit to help provide power for the spacecraft.

It will then set course for the Moon by firing its interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) - a liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen-based system which has never been used before.

Orion will then perform a flyby of the Moon, harnessing the satellite's gravity to gain speed and propel itself to what is called 'distant retrograde orbit' (DRO), thousands of miles beyond the moon and almost half a million km from Earth.

The craft will then burn its main engine - a manoeuvring system left over from the defunct Space Shuttle programme - to leave the DRO and head back.

On its return trip, Orion will do another flyby of the moon and start approaching Earth.

Just outside Earth's atmosphere, the crew capsule will detach from the service module and other parts of the craft, before initiating re-entry and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

In this final part of the three-week-long trip, as shown in the video, the capsule will be ensured a safe landing by three parachutes.

HOW DOES ORION COMPARE TO APOLLO 17? A 'new Apollo'? Orion bears a strong resemblance to the Apollo command module that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in 1969, but it is bristling with the latest technology The development of Orion has helped reawakened some of the atmosphere of exploration that surrounded Nasa during the Apollo missions that first landed mankind on the moon. But with almost exactly 42 years between the last Apollo mission, Apollo 17, which launched on 7 December 1972, and the first flight of Orion, the technology has moved on considerably. On the surface the two space capsules look the same - they are cone-shaped, and have a large heat shield to protect the astronauts from the intense conditions during re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. However, Orion is larger, capable of carrying four crew members rather than Apollo's three. It will also have to carry far more supplies than Apollo ever did. The last Apollo mission saw a two man crew spend just three days on the moon's surface while a mission to an asteroid or to Mars could see astronauts spending up to 450 days in space. Like the Apollo Command Module, Orion has a Service Module attached that houses a single large engine, batteries and storage. However, Orion will carry a pair of solar arrays to help keep the capsule powered in space - technology that Apollo did not use. Orion also uses up-to-date computers, electronics, life support and propulsion systems. The electronics also have a far more sophisticated radiation shielding than the Apollo modules. Nasa has also used some hard lessons to improve the heat shield. Measuring 16.5 feet (five metres) across, it is the largest heat shield ever built for a spacecraft and has been covered in a new material called Avcoat. Nasa has also improved the parachutes, once used to land the Apollo spacecraft and slow the Space Shuttle, to help Orion land more safely in the water when it splashes down after a mission. Advertisement

Nasa has been conducting several parachute tests over the last months.

In August it even dropped a capsule model attached to some purposefully flawed parachutes in the middle of the Arizona desert.

The simulated botch was intended to test whether the crew module would survive in case of parachute malfunctioning.

In fact, despite the parachutes failing, Orion landed gently on the desert floor.

As part of the test, engineers also studied a change to the risers, which connect the parachutes to the vehicle from steel to a textile material as well as the use of lighter weight suspension lines for several of the parachutes.

Luckily even if the parachutes were to eventually fail, nobody would get hurt in Exploration Mission 1's unmanned capsule.

However, in April 2023, Nasa expects to conduct Exploration Mission 2 following the same route but carrying four crew members.

A third mission planned for 2026 will use a manned spacecraft to land on a small asteroid previously captured with a robotic arm.

From there, things can only get bolder - Orion was conceived as the craft that would enable humans to finally explore Mars in the 2030s.