The test took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center outside Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and began at 4:40 PM ET. The test took just over eight minutes.
“The SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, and in today’s test, the core stage of the rocket generated more than 1.6 million pounds of thrust in seven seconds. is capable of America’s next-generation missions that will place the first woman and the next man on the moon, ”acting NASA administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement.
“Today’s successful hot fire test of the core stage for the SLS is an important milestone in NASA’s goal of returning humans to the lunar surface – and beyond.”
This was the eighth and final in the Green Run series of tests designed to enable the rocket to launch Artemis missions that will land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024. The first mission, the unmanned Artemis I, is planned. for November. These tests can help answer questions about how the missile might perform during different launch phases.
The missile’s core systems were loaded with more than 700,000 liters of super-cold propellant, and the four RS-25 missiles were fired simultaneously. This simulates what the missile will endure on launch, although SLS will use approximately 8.8 million pounds of thrust to lift Artemis I off the pad.
Between 18 and 20 tankers full of propellant gas filled six containers with the liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the days before the test. The bins were then towed to the B-2 missile stand to fill the nuclear stages.
The second test lasted eight minutes and provided the teams with the data they needed. Applause could be heard from the control room after they ordered it shut down after eight minutes. Nothing resulted in an early elimination.
During the test, the engines experienced three different power levels, as well as movements simulating flight control called gimbals.
In the weeks before the test, teams made sure that a repairable liquid oxygen front valve was working. They also analyzed data from the first test, including the parameters on the flight computer that finished the first test ahead of schedule. And they have made minor repairs.
“This longer hot fire test provided the wealth of data we needed to ensure that the SLS nuclear stage can successfully power any SLS missile,” said John Honeycutt, manager for the SLS program at NASA’s Marshall Space. Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a statement. .
“During this test, the team performed new operations with the core phase for the first time, repeated some critical operations and recorded test data that will help us verify that the core phase is ready for the first and future SLS flights for NASA’s Artemis program.”
The Artemis program starts with missions to the moon with a plan to rely on the SLS rocket as a way to send astronauts to Mars as well.
Teams will continue to review the data collected during the test. After about a month of renovating the nuclear staircase and engines, the Pegasus ship will take the nuclear staircase to its next home.
The SLS rocket will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for assembly and integration along with the Orion spacecraft designed for the astronauts.
At Kennedy, teams have already stacked the solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building for Artemis I.
Jurczyk said Thursday that the Biden administration supports NASA and its goals for the agency’s Artemis program and Moon to Mars strategy.
Return to the moon
The first 18 astronauts in the Artemis program were selected and announced in December.
The diverse team of astronauts includes Joseph Acaba, Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Matthew Dominick, Victor Glover, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Christina Koch, Kjell Lindgren, Nicole Mann, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, Jasmin Moghbeli, Kate Rubins, Frank Rubio, Scott Tingle, Jessica Watkins, and Stephanie Wilson.
As astronauts explore the Moon’s South Pole, which has never been visited by humans before, they will build on the legacy and science gained during the Apollo program and take it into a new century.
After the unmanned Artemis I flight in November, Artemis II will be a manned flight from the moon in August 2023. Artemis III will return astronauts to the moon.
The SLS rocket will send Orion, astronauts and large cargo to the moon at the same time, NASA said.
The Orion spacecraft can carry four crew members and support deep-space missions, unlike previous craft designed for short-haul flights.
The Artemis III Science Definition team has set several priorities for this pioneering team of Artemis astronauts. These include conducting experimental science on the moon, investigating and mitigating the risks of exploration, and understanding the origin of the elements at the lunar poles – such as water and other resources that could be used by astronauts.
The agency also plans to establish an Artemis base camp on the moon’s south pole by the end of the decade.