Initial findings from Space Launch System liftoff measurements

Abstract

This presentation documents initial findings from far-field noise measurements at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during liftoff of the Space Launch System’s Artemis I mission, which occurred on November 16, 2022. The vehicle— the most powerful ever successfully launched into orbit—consists of four liquid-fueled RS-25 engines and two five-segment, solid-fuel rocket boosters (SRBs). Because this was the first launch, the noise radiation characteristics of this vehicle were previously unknown. Overall sound pressure levels, waveform characteristics, and spectra are described at distances ranging from 1.5 to 8.4 km. The levels due to the SRBs’ ignition overpressure are particularly intense in the direction of the flame trench exit. The post-liftoff maximum one-third octave spectrum has a peak at 20 Hz, and maximum overall levels are greater than described in a pre-launch environmental assessment. These and other findings presently submitted to JASA Express Letters further understanding of super heavy-lift rocket acoustics.