Flight Control Test-2 at ATK

An ATK technician performs one last check on the avionics test article for solid rocket boosters in preparation for the second Flight Control Test of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at the ATK facility in Promontory, Utah. The test, dubbed Flight Control Test 2, or FCT-2, checked out the thrust vector control system Wednesday, Jan. 30 with the new SLS booster avionics and electrical ground support system.

These avionics and new five-segment boosters will be part of the first two flights of the SLS, America's next heavy-lift launch vehicle managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The thrust vector control system includes a power unit and hydraulic system of actuators that direct the force from the boosters. ATK is the prime contractor for the SLS five-segment booster.

Image credit: ATK