ESA News
http://www.esa.int

6 June 2008

Successful Ariane 5 solid rocket booster test firing

Yesterday, a successful test firing of an Ariane 5 solid rocket booster took
place at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The test was part
of the Ariane 5 Research and Technology Accompaniment (ARTA) Programme.

The ARTA Programme, part of ESA's Ariane 5 Development Programme, is
responsible for verifying the stability of the qualification status of the
Ariane 5 launch system, checking the current production and qualifying
required modifications to the launcher design before they enter service.

The main goal of this ARTA test was to verify the qualification status of
the current solid rocket booster (MPS -- Moteur Propergol Solide) production
with respect to potential manufacturing process drifts.

As subsidiary but equally important objectives, some improvements and new
materials to deal with current obsolescence were tested. Additionally, the
test allowed the checking of some modifications made to improve the MPS
behaviour with respect to critical points, in particular, the reduction of
pressure oscillations.

The test was performed in the booster engine test stand (BEAP -- Banc
d'Essais des Accelerateurs a Poudre), a test facility specifically designed
for MPS vertical testing and located at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG --
Centre Spatial Guyanais), Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

During the test, which had a duration of about 140 seconds, the motor
delivered a mean thrust of approximately 600 tonnes. The booster was
thoroughly instrumented and around 560 parameters were recorded throughout
the test to monitor its performance and to provide the data required to
evaluate the different test objectives. Initial analysis of the data
confirms that performance was in line with predictions.

This was the fourth test of an MPS since the beginning of the ARTA 5
programme and the eleventh since the start of the Ariane 5 Development
Programme. The next MPS ARTA test is expected in about two years from now.

[NOTE: Images and weblinks supporting this release area available at
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMD4OUG3HF_index_1.html ]
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