Orbital ATK is expected to test fire one of the largest and most powerful solid rocket boosters ever built, the Space Launch System (SLS) test article Qualification Motor-1 (QM-1), on March 11, moving NASA closer to launching the Orion deep-space crew capsule in late 2018, says America Space.

The 154-foot-tall, five-segment solid rocket booster (SRB) has been in development for years. When Orion finally takes off, the 321-foot-tall heavy-lift SLS will get its power from four upgraded liquid-fueled space shuttle RS-25 engines. But even those four engines won't be enough to provide the 70-metric-ton (77-ton) lift capacity needed. This is where the QM-1 comes into play.

“The QM-1 static test is an important step in further qualifying this new five-segment solid rocket motor for the subsequent planned missions to send astronauts to deep space," says Charlie Precourt, vice president and general manager of the company's Space Launch division.

Once ignited, the five-segment SLS booster will deliver 3.6 million pounds of thrust, and it will use two of the boosters. These provide 30% more power than old shuttle boosters.