[Satellite TODAY Insider 09-12-11] ATK conducted and completed its third ground test of the manufacturer’s next-generation solid rocket motor, the company announced Sept. 9.

ATK said the Development Motor (DM-3) test was an important milestone for the company’s efforts to validate the rocket’s potential use in heavy lift and commercial launch vehicles. Initial DM-3 test data indicated the motor performed as designed, producing approximately 3.6 million pounds of thrust (22 million horsepower) and burning for a little more than two minutes.

   The DM-3 human-rated solid rocket motor measures 12 feet in diameter and 154 feet in length. The five-segment motor is based on the four-segment boosters featured on NASA’s space shuttle, with upgrades to incorporate modern technologies and materials that were not used on the shuttle booster. ATK’s upgrades aim to produce 30 percent more power than the four-segment motor while utilizing new materials that provide cost and weight savings.

   ATK also wants to make sure its DM-3 booster avoids the issues that plagued a Russian Proton-M carrier rocket that veered off course and sunk in the Pacific Ocean after a launch failure in December 2010. The rocket was equipped with a DM-3 booster that was designed and manufactured by Energia, which now owns U.S. launch provider Sea Launch.

   “The main test objectives from today’s static motor firing were measuring the five-segment rocket’s performance and verifying the performance of new materials in the motor joints at hot temperatures. Intentional flaws were introduced in the joint to allow hot gas to penetrate into part of the robust joint to verify joint performance,” ATK said in a company statement.

   ATK General Manager Charlie Precourt, a former astronaut who led the company’s Ares-1 division, said that ATK has been consolidating its facilities, workforce and processes to further reduce the cost of producing the solid rocket motors.

   “The five-segment motor was designed to maximize astronaut safety while providing the United States with an affordable and reliable launch capability for both crew and cargo missions,” Precourt said. “The data from these tests, along with information we have collected over the past three decades, confirms this is the most powerful solid rocket motor ever designed. This performance makes the five-segment a great solution for heavy lift launch vehicles.”