Wed, Feb 09, 2011
AJ26 Successfully Test Fired At Stennis Space Center
NASA conducted a test fire of the liquid-fuel AJ26 engine that
will power the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Taurus II
space launch vehicle late last week. The test at the agency's
Stennis Space Center in Mississippi supports NASA's Commercial
Transportation Services partnerships to enable commercial cargo
flights to the International Space Station.
(L-R) NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, Stennis Director
Patrick Scheuermann
Orbital's Taurus II uses a pair AJ26 rocket engines built by
Aerojet to provide first stage propulsion. Friday's test on the
Stennis' E-1 test stand involved a team of Orbital, Aerojet, and
Stennis engineers, with Stennis employees serving as test
conductors.
"Once again, the Orbital and Aerojet team have achieved a major
milestone with the AJ26 engine," said Doug Cooke, associate
administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at
NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This success moves Orbital closer
to its goal of providing NASA with commercial space transportation
services to the space station."
The 55-second firing was the second in a series of verification
tests being conducted at the south Mississippi facility. A third
hot-fire test also is planned to verify tuning of engine control
valves.
AJ26 Test Fire NASA Image
"This second test of the AJ26 engine not only moves Orbital's
commercial space transport plans a step ahead, but also
demonstrates again the quality and versatility of Stennis
facilities and the expertise of our test and support team," Stennis
Director Patrick Scheuermann said.
The AJ26 engine is designed to power the Taurus II space vehicle
on flights to low Earth orbit. NASA's partnership with Orbital was
formed under the agency's Commercial Orbital Transportation
Services joint research and development project. The company is
under contract with NASA to provide eight cargo missions to the
space station through 2015.
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