Nasa and ATK jointly revealed the first completed Ares I first stage five-segment solid rocket booster marking the 40th anniversary for the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The Ares I launch vehicle will carry the Orion crew exploration spacecraft for missions to the International Space Station and the moon.
The first stage, five-segment rocket has evolved from the previous four-segment configuration and possesses a larger nozzle opening, upgraded insulation and liner than its predecessor.
Changes have also been made to the evolved rocket’s propellant grain.
ATK executive vice-president Mike Kahn said that ATK has been able to leverage decades of ground tests and shuttle flight processes due to the use of shuttle boosters in Ares I first stage design.
In preparation for major ground tests of the Nasa constellation programme in late August 2009, instrumentation will be installed over the next month.
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By GlobalDataATK has been developing the rocket booster for Nasa since 2005.
