NASA successfully tested the center stage of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the second time on Thursday afternoon.
The four RS-25 engines of the powerful lunar rocket fired for eight minutes and 19 seconds at approximately 16:37 ET at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The 212-foot-tall central stage “Green Run” series hot fire test marks what NASA says is a “critical milestone” ahead of its future lunar missions.
The basic stage design will be used for all 322-foot-tall SLS rocket configurations and the team will use test data to validate the flight design.
“The SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, and during today’s test, the rocket’s central stage generated more than 1.6 million pounds of thrust in seven seconds. The SLS is an incredible feat of engineering and the only rocket capable of propelling the next-generation American missions that will place the first woman and next man on the moon, “said NASA’s acting administrator , Steve Jurczyk, in a statement Thursday.
“The success of today’s hot fire test of the SLS core stage is an important milestone in NASA’s goal of returning humans to the lunar surface, and beyond,” he added.
NASA’s first SLS central phase hot fire test was held on Jan. 16, when all four engines fired for about a minute. The test was aborted earlier than expected due to an error with the hydraulic system, which reinforced the need for a second longer hot fire test.
The second hot fire test allowed engineers to test a multitude of operating conditions, such as steering the thrust, accelerating up and down, and powering the engines up to 100%.
Mid-stage propellant tanks can hold more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant and simulate nearly 2 million pounds of thrust.
In addition, the stage – in which Boeing is the main contractor – is technologically advanced, with sophisticated flight programs and avionics systems, propulsion systems and hydraulic systems.
The stage will then be refurbished as needed and sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch of the Artemis I mission.
Artemis I, which is tentatively scheduled for takeoff later this year, will use an SLS rocket to send an unmanned Orion spacecraft on a flight around the Moon and back to Earth.
“Today is a great day for NASA, Stennis and this nation’s human space exploration program. This final test of the Green Run series represents an important milestone for this nation’s return to the moon and its eventual mission to Mars, “said Stennis Center director Richard Gilbrech.” There are a lot of people in the world. agency and the country that has contributed to this basic stage of the SLS, but the special recognition is due to the combined team of test operators, engineers and support staff for an exemplary effort in conducting the test today in day”.
The John C. Stennis Space Center is the largest rocket in the country engine testing complex.