The GEM 63XL engines will fly on ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket in 2021.
WASHINGTON – Northrop Grumman completed the first qualifying test on August 13 for a new strap-on rocket engine developed for the future launch of the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur car, the company said.
The static fire of the 63-inch-diameter graphite epoxy motor, known as the GEM 63XL, occurred at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah.
During the test, the engine fired for about 90 seconds, producing nearly 449,000 pounds of fuel to qualify the engine’s internal insulation, crane, ballistics and nozzle, said Charlie Precourt, Northrop Grumman vice president of propulsion systems, in a news release.
Northrop Grumman last month delivered three ULA three GEM 63 solid rocket engines that will fly on an Atlas 5 car later this year.
The GEM 63 is 66 feet long and the GEM 63XL version is 72 feet long. The GEM 63XL engines will fly on the Vulcan Centaur rocket in 2021.
The GEM strap-on motors were first developed in the early 1980s. The GEM 40 was used in ULA’s Delta 2 launched car. The GEM 46 flew on the Delta 2 Heavy, and the GEM 60 flew on Delta 4 launches before retiring in 2019.
