Lockheed Successfully Fires FALCON SLV Hybrid Motor

Posted on: Jun. 17th, 2005 || Source: lockheedmartin.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

Lockheed Successfully Fires FALCON SLV Hybrid Motor

NEW ORLEANS, LA., June 16, 2005 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully test-fired a hybrid motor as part of the Falcon Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on June 10. This was the second SLV hybrid motor firing that Lockheed Martin has conducted this year at Test Stand 2-A.

The hybrid motor that was tested is a full-scale test version of the upper stage motor on Lockheed Martin’s SLV and measures 11 feet in length and five feet in diameter. The motor fired for its planned duration of 120 seconds, and preliminary data indicate that test objectives were met.

The duration of the firing was twice the length of time of the first firing that occurred January 21, and Lockheed Martin believes that the 120-second test was the longest burn of a hybrid motor at this scale. The fuel grain was designed such that the 120-second firing represented over 170 seconds of run time for the flight configuration.

The goal of the Falcon SLV program is to develop and demonstrate an affordable and responsive space lift capability – one that can quickly launch a small satellite into Low Earth Orbit.

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