NASA Begins Critical Testing for future Artemis Missions

NASA conducted the first hot fire of a new RS-25 test series Oct. 17, the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The new engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. A series of 12 tests, stretching into 2024, is scheduled to occur on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The tests are a key step for lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, to produce engines that will help power the SLS rocket, beginning with Artemis V. For each Artemis mission, four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, power the SLS rocket, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Following a “test like you fly” approach, all 12 tests in the new series are scheduled for at least 500 seconds, the same amount of time the engines must fire during an actual launch. Overall, a total of 6,350 seconds of hot fire is planned for the series. With completion of the campaign, it is anticipated all systems will be “go” to produce 24 new RS-25 engines using the updated design.