NASA completes full-duration hot fire of Artemis Moon rocket engine

NASA recently completed a full-duration, 500-second hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine that will be powering the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket - the primary launch vehicle for the agency's Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Each SLS flight will be powered by four RS-25 engines, firing simultaneously during launch and ascent to generate over 2 million pounds of thrust.

During the January 17 test, operators fired the engine for almost 500 seconds - the same amount of time needed to launch SLS and at power levels ranging between 80% to 113%.

The hot fire of the engine was conducted on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Data collected from the test series, which began in October 2023, will be used to certify the production of new RS-25 engines by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne for missions beginning with Artemis V.

🔥 @NASAStennis completed a full-duration hot fire on an RS-25 certification engine. Data collected from the test series plays a pivotal role in the development of new RS-25 engines that will help power the SLS rocket starting with @NASAArtemis IVMORE>>https://t.co/pcj7RY0Odu pic.twitter.com/PO7Vum6Z8z

— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) January 18, 2024

For the unversed, SLS is a super heavy-lift rocket designed for deep space missions. Touted as the most powerful rocket in the world, SLS is the only rocket capable of sending the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts, and large cargo directly to the Moon on a single mission.

>According to NASA, the SLS booster is the largest, most powerful solid propellant booster ever built for flight. The advanced launch vehicle will send NASA into a new era of human exploration beyond Earth's orbit.

Through a series of Artemis missions, NASA seeks to establish a long-term presence at the Moon and prepare for future human exploration of Mars.