Northrop Grumman's Northern Utah facility produces the twin solid rocket motors that launched NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on a journey around the Moon on November 16, 2022.
The uncrewed Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022, completing a successful 25.5-day Artemis I mission.
The boosters are the primary source of power at lift-off, producing 75% of the rocket's thrust at launch to get it off the pad and out of Earth's atmosphere.
Each booster stands 177-feet tall and produces 3.6 million pounds of thrust to together generate more power than 14 4-engine 747 aircrafts at full take-off power.
These are the largest and most powerful solid rocket boosters ever built for human spaceflight.
Artemis I marks NASA's return to the Moon. This mission is a critical first step in helping the agency achieve its objective of building a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon under the increasingly complex Artemis missions that is focused on exploring deep space and eventually Mars.
Artemis II, projected in 2024, will be a crewed mission around the Moon, and Artemis III will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface.
Northrop Grumman's Utah facilities have been at the center of America's space program for decades, supporting the Space Shuttle Program for over 20 years.
Solid rocket motors produced here also help launch the company's Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on NASA's commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station, support other commercial launch vehicles, and others play a critical role in the nation's defense systems.
For more information please visit: NorthropGrumman.com.
