Company s Five-Segment Boosters will Help Provide Initial Thrust for First Two Minutes of Flight for SLS
Full Booster Certification Set to Complete Later this Year
The avionics system is considered the brains of the booster as it starts booster ignition, communicates with the SLS launch vehicle computers during flight, and initiates booster separation upon completion of the first stage burn. The system is now qualified as meeting NASA s demanding human-rating requirements, which provide a level of redundancy to ensure a safe flight environment through various phases of lift-off, ascent and staging.
Completion of booster avionics system qualification is a significant
step forward in supporting overall vehicle qualification and launch of
the first flight of SLS
Qualification of the booster avionics system included a rigorous and comprehensive test series that thoroughly verified the fidelity of the system in a variety of expected and abnormal conditions. Key interactions confirmed during qualification testing included the ability to initiate booster ignition, control the booster during flight, and terminate flight.
The Space Launch System is NASA s new heavy-lift launch vehicle that is being built to take crew and cargo to destinations beyond earth orbit, including to cislunar space and eventually Mars. SLS, along with the Orion spacecraft, will enable human exploration on a variety of missions to deep space. It has the greatest capacity of any launch system ever built, ensuring continued American leadership in space exploration.
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