NASA has detailed preparations for the test firing of the first demonstrator motor for its Ares I crew launch vehicle (CLV) first stage solid rocket booster.The US space agency gives the month of August as the test date however Flight has already obtained from the Ares I prime contractor Alliant Techsystems (ATK) the more specific date of 13 August
NASA says in its statement:
The first of five segments for the Ares I development motor (DM-1) was moved April 16 from ATK Space System’s production facility in Promontory, Utah, to the nearby test stand, in preparation for the first ground test, targeted for August. This next generation of solid rocket motor will be used to launch humans on future missions to the International Space Station, the moon, Mars and beyond.
ATK explained to Flight that the 133-day postponement of the test would not impact on the development of the CLV. NASA has already delayed the first test flight of the motor by more than a year
