NASA Reschedules Test of Max Launch Abort System

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — Because of weather concerns and launch site preparation needs, NASA has rescheduled the test launch of the Max Launch Abort System, or MLAS, to no earlier than June 20 at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va. The launch window June 20 extends from approximately 5:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. EDT. The launch had been scheduled previously for June 15.

The unpiloted test is part of an effort to design a system for safely propelling future spacecraft and crews away from hazards on the launch pad or during the climb to orbit. This system was developed as an alternative concept to the launch abort system chosen for NASA’s Orion crew capsule.

The 33-foot-high MLAS vehicle will be launched to an altitude of approximately one mile to simulate an emergency on the launch pad. A full-scale mockup of the crew module will separate from the launch vehicle and parachute into the Atlantic Ocean.

Reporters are invited to attend the test and a postlaunch briefing. Journalists must request credentials from Rebecca Powell by calling 757-824-1139 before 4 p.m., June 17. For more information about participating in the postlaunch news briefing by telephone, contact Powell or Keith Henry before noon, June 19.

For more information about MLAS, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/mlas.html

For more information about the Constellation Program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/constellation