27-06-2025
Watch: Rocket tasked with launching humans to the Moon explodes during testing
Northrop Grumman's inaugural ground test of its advanced BOLE solid rocket motor ended with a dramatic nozzle failure during the final seconds of Development Motor-1 (DM-1) test at Utah's Promontory facility saw the motor perform nominally for most of its 140-second burn before suffering a catastrophic nozzle disintegration just 10 seconds before planned Kalberer, Northrop Grumman's vice president of propulsion systems, confirmed: "Today's test pushed the boundaries of large solid rocket motor design to meet rigorous performance requirements. While the motor appeared to perform well through a harsh burn environment, we observed an anomaly near the end of the two-plus minute burn."advertisement
The 156-foot motor ignited at 12:25 PM MDT, burning over 1.4 million pounds of propellant while generating more than 4 million pounds of DM-1 TEST EXPLOSION Approximately 130 seconds into the test, slow-motion footage captured debris exiting the nozzle followed by "energetic liberation" of the entire nozzle assembly. The failure manifested as an abrupt brightening of the exhaust plume before the nozzle's violent the anomaly, the motor achieved its primary objective of demonstrating full-scale ballistic performance under ambient conditions (60F), with 763 data channels recording critical for NASA's future SLS Block 2 rockets, the BOLE motor represents a significant evolution from current boosters:Composite casings replace steel, reducing massUpgraded HTPB propellant replaces PBAN formulationElectronic thrust vector control eliminates hydraulic systemsLarger nozzle (4.4m diameter vs. 3.9m) enhances performanceadvertisementThese innovations aimed to increase specific impulse by 3.9% and payload capacity by 5 metric tons for lunar test motor featured carbon-fiber casings with lightning-protection copper wiring, though flight versions would be painted the first of two planned development tests, the anomaly provides crucial data for refining the BOLE design. Engineers will analyse insulation performance, ablative materials, and thrust vector behaviour recorded during the the program faces uncertainty due to proposed NASA budget cuts threatening SLS Block 2 BOLE boosters—destined for Artemis IX in the 2030s—depend on congressional budget negotiations reversing administration cuts to maintain viability beyond Artemis V missions.- EndsMust Watch
