test stand

Then ULA suffered another setback last March after a Vulcan part exploded on a test stand.

And the firm determined that the June explosion of one of its BE-4 engines on a Texas test stand was due to poorly calibrated instrumentation settings — ruling out fears over a design or component issue, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Hydrogen leaking from the tank ignited in a fireball, destroying the Vulcan’s upper stage and damaging the test stand.

During the second attempt in March, the rocket recorded a sustained 499.6-second burn of the giant engines that sent a giant cloud of steam over the massive test stand in Mississippi.

While this was going on, the core stage was attached to a test stand in Mississippi, undergoing a comprehensive programme of evaluation known as the Green Run.