Anna Forrester
ATK and NASA have conducted a static test on the Orion crew transport spacecraft’s launch abort motor igniter at the company’s facility in Promontory, Utah as the company seeks to move toward production.
The igniter is part of Orion’s Launch Abort System and designed to activate the abort motor for the crew module in case of any problems during launch, the company said Tuesday.
“As a former astronaut, I understand how critical the abort motor is to the safety of those flying aboard the Orion spacecraft,” said Charlie Precourt, vice president and general manager of ATK’s space launch division.
During the test, ATK technicians simulated flight conditions and tested the igniter against extremely hot temperature and continuous vibration.
The company said it will again test the igniter next year in extremely cold temperature before it moves to critical design review in the summer.
