Stennis Space Center continues critical test series in support of Artemis campaign with hot fire of RS-25 engine

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - NASA continued a critical test series for future flights of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in support of the Artemis campaign on March 27 with a full-duration hot fire of the RS-25 engine on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

The hot fire marked 11 of 12 scheduled tests to certify the production of new RS-25 engines that will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and continue the agency’s efforts to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.

Operators fired the RS-25 engine for 500 seconds. As with previous hot fires, the team collected performance data for lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company, to manufacture new RS-25 engines for future SLS (Space Launch System) rocket missions, beginning with Artemis V.

For each Artemis mission, four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, power the SLS, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration on the Moon; land the first woman, the first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface; and prepare for human expeditions to Mars.

A video of the test from March 22 can be found on NASA’s YouTube page.

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