Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) digitally designed and manufactured large solid rocket motor successfully completed a static fire test at U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex.
The test event was the company’s second successful static firing of a fully digitally designed large solid rocket motor. The first was the Common 50 High-Performance (C50HP) upper stage motor that can be adapted to support final stages of propulsion in the region outside of Earth’s atmosphere. The second stage motor is optimized for high-altitude flight and provides the required boost to transition payloads out of the atmosphere and into space.
Jim Kalberer, vice president, propulsion systems said, “We are using digital solutions across our business to produce solid rocket motors with speed, which is transforming how we design, test and manufacture the next generation of systems. The company’s propulsion business uses this level of engineering to deploy an advanced approach for newly developed rocket motors that are pushing model-based tools further than ever before.”
All test objectives were met during the event with performance data anchoring the digital model, confirming the motor’s performance and demonstrating the company’s ability to successfully build to design requirements using a digital environment. In addition to advanced model-based systems engineering (MBSE) used to design the high-performance second stage motor, a digital environment was also applied to the facilities and tools to manufacture the propulsion system.
MBSE enables teams to extract data that enhances manufacturing processes and design evaluation, improves response to market demands, accelerates the implementation of process improvements and augments the company’s production capabilities.