This week NASA conducted the first hot fire of a new RS-25 test series, beginning the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of the engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
The engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
Operators fired the RS-25 engine for more than nine minutes (550 seconds), longer than the 500 seconds engines must fire during an actual mission at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis. Operators also fired the engine up to the 111% power level needed during an SLS launch.
The hot fire marked the first in a series of 12 tests scheduled to stretch into 2024.
