Ares I-X hoping to fly October 27

William Atkins
Thursday, 24 September 2009 17:04

Science - Space

NASA announced on September 22, 2009, that the U.S. space agency will launch a test flight of the Ares I test rocket (Ares I-X) on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, as long as all checks and tests are verified beforehand.


The launch window for the test flight is from 8 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time, with a second window of opportunity on October 28.

The Ares I-X rocket will be similar in shape, weight and size to the final configuration of the operational Ares I vehicle.

The suborbital test flight of the Ares I-X rocket consists of a “live” functional four-segment solid rocket booster first stage, a “dummy” nonfunctional second stage, a “dummy” nonfunctional third stage, and a fourth stage consisting of an Orion Boilerplate (non-functional capsule) with a Launch Abort System.

The test of the rocket will simulate conditions of a real flight through an altitude of about 130,000 feet (39,600 meters) and a speed of Mach 4.5 (or, 4.5 times the speed of sound, where the speed of sound is about 761 miles per hour), through Max Q, which is the abbreviation for maximum dynamic pressure (of about 800 pounds per square foot, or 38.3 kilopascals).

The assembly of the rocket has already been completed. Over the next two weeks, the final checks to its systems will be made.

Then, the Ares I-X rocket will be rolled out to launch pad 39B on October 19.

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