Latest Thiokol Stories

NASA has completed a successful test firing of the igniter that will be used to start the Ares I rocket first stage motor.The March 10 test paves the way for the initial ground test of the Ares I first stage later this year. Ares I is the first launch vehicle in NASA's Constellation Program family of space vehicles that will transport astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, the moon and beyond in coming decades."This successful test represents a milestone in our...

ATK Test Qualifies Upgraded Material Leading to Higher Performance ATK to Integrate new Igniter into Five-Segment Ares I Rocket for Test This Fall MINNEAPOLIS, March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) successfully conducted the first test firing of the igniter that will be used on NASA's Ares I first stage. Today's test at ATK's Promontory, Utah facility generated a flame almost 200 feet in length. When ignited inside the world's largest solid rocket booster,...

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Edwards Air Force Base have successfully tested a developmental solid rocket motor -- designated Phase II -- as part of the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program. The IHPRPT program is a research and development initiative for government and industry designed to improve U.S. solid rocket propulsion systems for multiple...

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a $49 million contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) to provide at least nine flight sets of Orion solid rocket motors. If options in the contract are exercised, the total value would increase. Orion motors are used on a variety of launch vehicles including Ground Based Missile Defense's Orbital Boost Vehicle, as well as Minotaur, Pegasus and Taurus(R) launch vehicles. The...

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Utah desert was filled with the sound of a rocket as Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) once again conducted a successful test firing of NASA's reusable solid rocket motor (RSRM). Data collected during the test will be used to further ensure the safety of the remaining shuttle flights and provide valuable information which will be utilized on the Ares I program. The world's largest solid rocket motor measuring more than 126 feet in...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PlanetSpace announced today it has added the Space Exploration division of The Boeing Company to its existing teammates, Alliant Techsystems and Lockheed Martin Corporation , on the proposed solution to NASA for the Commercial Resupply Services to the International Space Station. The PlanetSpace ISS Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) team includes the following major members: -- PlanetSpace is the overall prime contractor and...

PROMONTORY, Utah (AP) - A 4 1/2-year-old space-shuttle booster rocket was test-fired by ATK Thiokol to determine the effects of age on the rocket motor components. "Parts in the motor have been used in other rocket sets, and we were getting close to the maximum age of the boosters," said Nick Whitehead, who supervises motor and stage design for ATK Thiokol. "We brought this set back to test it because it has had extended exposure to the humid environment at the Kennedy Space...

NASA -- Did you know that NASA's Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters trace their roots to 12th century China, where the first rockets were developed for fireworks displays? Now fast forward to the 21st century, where two Solid Rocket Boosters -- giant, modern-day "bottle rockets" -- burn an average of 9 tons of solid propellant per second to provide a combined thrust of some 5.3 million pounds for the Space Shuttle during its first two minutes of flight. The two Solid Rocket...