Northrop Grumman tests NASA Orion abort motor

Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin successfully performed the final full-scale ground test of the abort motor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft Launch Abort System (LAS) at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory, Utah, test facility. The 17ft-tall abort motor is one of three motors comprising the LAS that sits atop the Orion spacecraft aboard NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and is designed to increase astronaut safety on the pad and through initial ascent.

Approximately 250 measurement channels assessed the abort motor as the four exhaust nozzles pointing skyward produced nearly 400,000 lb of thrust during its two-second firing time. The test concludes the verification of a new insulation formulation and completes qualification testing for the Orion’s launch abort system (LAS).

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“This impressive, high-impulse motor burns 3x faster than a typical motor of this size, and if needed, the reverse-flow nozzles pull the crew capsule away from the launch vehicle and to safety,” said Wendy Williams, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. “Together, the three solid rocket motors of the LAS equip the SLS with the highest human-rated thrust and acceleration safety system possible.”

The first active LAS system will be integrated into the Orion spacecraft for Artemis II, the first crewed flight of SLS.

Northrop Grumman also produces the attitude control motor (ACM) to directionally control the LAS. The ACM orients the crew capsule for parachute deployment and is manufactured at Northrop Grumman’s Elkton, Maryland, facility.