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NASA pushes moon mission engine to new levels in testi
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STENNIS SPACE CENTER - NASA on Wednesday conducted the latest "hot fire" test of its RS-25 engines -- the muscle it plans to use to send astronauts back to the moon, and beyond.
The test at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi included an 11-minute-long burn, during which operators "gimbaled" -- or pivoted -- the engine to simulate the movements it will make in actual flight.
The test also pushed the RS-25 beyond any parameters it would likely experience during an actual mission.
Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to generate a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 million pounds of thrust during ascent to help power each SLS flight. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne modified 16 holdover space shuttle main engines, all proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis, for Artemis missions I through IV.
Testing will continue into 2024, with the scheduled return of NASA to the moon set for 2025.
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