Rocket engine test facility

Ground testing is very inexpensive in comparison to the cost of risking an entire mission or the lives of a flight crew.

A typical sea level test stand may be designed to restrain the rocket engine in either a horizontal or vertical position.

The associated flame trench need not be so sturdy as with a vertical test stand, however a water system may be less effective at reducing the sound pressure level.

All test stands require safety provisions to protect against the destructive potential of an unplanned engine detonation.

The safety provisions generally include building the stand some minimum distance from inhabited areas or other critical facilities, placing the stand behind a thick concrete blast wall or earthen berm, and using some form of inerting system (either gaseous nitrogen or helium) to eliminate the buildup of explosive mixtures.

If the products of combustion from the rocket firing include flammable or explosive materials, the chamber must be inerted, typically with gaseous nitrogen (GN2).