Kinetic Energy Interceptor Team Conducts Successful First Stage Rocket Motor Test
08-NEWS-0086
November 13, 2008
Air Force Lieutenant General Henry “Trey” Obering, Missile Defense Agency director, announced today the completion of a successful static fire test of the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) first stage rocket motor. The first stage motor burned successfully to completion and verified performance of key components in their flight configuration.
Conducted at the Alliant Techsystems facility in Promontory, Utah, this was the fourth of five planned static fire tests of the first stage motor by the KEI industry team. This test focused on the performance of the onboard thrust vector control (TVC) subcomponents that help to steer the missile after launch and the motor’s thrust and ballistics outputs. Initial results from the test show that design expectations for mechanical and ballistic performance were met. Success in this test builds confidence to ensure that the first stage will perform as designed in the booster test flight planned for next year.
The KEI is a future capability being developed to defeat medium- to long-range ballistic missiles during the boost, ascent and midcourse phases of flight. KEI is designed to be a mobile, globally deployable missile defense system featuring MDA’s newest high-acceleration booster.
News media point of contact is Rick Lehner, Missile Defense Agency, at (703) 697-8997 or richard.lehner@mda.mil.
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