NASA and Alliant Techsystems Inc. [ATK] test-fired a critical safety component for the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the future American spacecraft.

Technicians fired a yard-long igniter for the abort motor on the Orion space capsule, at the ATK facility in Promontory, Utah.

Orion is part of the Constellation Program developing the space capsule and the Ares rocket to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and conduct sustained human exploration of the moon.

The abort motor, the primary motor in the launch abort system, is designed to pull the crew capsule away from the Ares I launch vehicle in an emergency situation while on the pad or during the first 300,000 feet of ascent after launch.

That abort motor, or rocket, is mounted on a frame connected to the top of the capsule. In event of trouble, Orion swiftly separates from the Ares rocket, and the abort motor whisks the space capsule away from danger. Later, a parachute system eases the capsule back to Earth.

During the test, in less than a second, the igniter generated approximately 21,000 pounds of thrust and produced combustion gas temperatures of more than 5,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Engineers will use the test firing to evaluate the igniter’s ballistic properties and pressure created inside its chamber. Preliminary data indicate the igniter performed as expected.

The igniter is designed to fit inside the aft end of the abort motor for Orion’s launch abort system. In an emergency, it would ignite the solid propellant inside the abort motor casing. The motor uses a unique reverse flow technology with four nozzles mounted on the forward end. Once ignited, it produces nearly half-a-million pounds of thrust within milliseconds to pull the Orion crew module safely away from the Ares I rocket.

This was the first in a series of three igniter open air tests scheduled for this year. A full-scale abort motor ground test is set for September. In December, the entire Orion launch abort system will be demonstrated during a flight test at the Army White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., manages the launch abort system design and development effort with partners and team members from Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Langley works under the Orion Project Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORB] of Dulles, Va., is building the launch abort system for Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT], the Orion prime contractor.