Credit: Northrop Grumman
Aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman Corporation announced a successful static fire test for a Sentinel ICBM stage-two solid-rocket motor. The trial took place within a vacuum chamber that replicates the types of conditions the solid-rocket motor would encounter in space and high-altitude flights.
Northrop Grumman said in apress releasethat it plans to evaluate data from the test to determine if the motor performance aligned with model predictions. The next step involves qualification testing for the initial two stages of a three-stage Sentinel missile.
The Sentinel program aims to modernize the land portion of the strategic nuclear triad and is expected to remain effective through 2075.
Northrop Grumman executive Sarah Willoughby noted that the data accurately assesses the company’s design performance. Willoughby added that insights gained from the test would reduce risks in the company’s approach to providing a next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile to the U.S. Air Force.
Northrop Grumman heads a consortium that received the engineering, manufacturing, and design contract. Collaborating closely with the Air Force, the team focuses on developing the most advanced segment of the country’s ground-based strategic capabilities. Previous accomplishments include a stage-one solid rocket motor static fire and a series of hypersonic wind tunnel tests.
