NASA to Conduct 2nd Qualification Ground Test on SLS Rocket Booster

NASA will conduct the second qualification ground booster test for the deep-space rocket Space Launch System on June 28 at an Orbital ATK test facility in Utah.

The space agency set up 82 qualification test objectives that it will measure during the two-minute booster test, NASA said Thursday.

The test will use approximately 530 instrumentation channels and operate at a target initial temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

The space agency added that the goal of the test is to provide critical information on the booster to support flight qualification on the SLS.

According to NASA, two five-segment boosters and four RS-25 main engines will help power the finished SLS, which will carry the Orion spacecraft for manned deep space exploration with the first launch expected to be in 2018.

The first booster qualification test was completed in March 2015 with results showing that the booster was able to achieve acceptable performance at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, NASA said.