Propellant Manufacturing and Testing Short Course

Lockheed Martin - June 2026

Description:

This one-week training session will provide solid rocket engineers hands-on lab scale experience with some critical aspects of solid rocket motor development. Students will learn to apply a bond liner to a case, mix solid propellant, and then cast propellant into that case to make a complete grain. Students will also conduct a series of lab scale tests on cured propellant addressing sensitivity, mechanical properties, and burning rate and will discuss how these features affect formulation selection. The week will culminate in testing a small solid rocket motor based off of the formulations they have been testing where students can assess the propellant behavior from thrust and pressure data obtained from the motor. Throughout their training, students will be supervised by experts in the solid propellant field and receive discussion and some basic theory related to the operations they are conducting. At the end of this week of training, students will have a fundamental understanding and more-intuitive grasp of unique aspects related to operations of solid rocket motor production and testing.