After its first flight was launched last year, NASA's Artemis program is moving full speed ahead as part of the space agency's efforts to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. The Artemis program relies on the SLS rocket to power the Orion spacecraft to the Moon. Pushing the rocket to space are four RS-25 engines, and NASA tested one such engine at its Stennis Space Center in Mississippi earlier today. The tet was the third in a series of 12 tests that will certify a newer RS-25 variant before it can enter into production for future Artemis missions.
NASA Successfully Completes 650 Second RS-25 Test Fire As Part Of Certification Run
As is common with rocket engine static fires, today's RS-25 static fire test fired up the engine for longer than its burn duration during flight. Before the test, NASA shared that it aims to run the RS-25 for 650 seconds, which is two and a half minutes or 150 seconds longer than the time it will run during an Artemis launch.
The test came two weeks after a previous successful run in mid November that fired the RS-25 for 500 seconds and at 113% of its normal power levels. This time around, NASA extended the duration and also tested the engine's ability to maneuver itself during operation. During flight, a rocket engine moves around its center to shift the vehicle's trajectory to place it on the correct path for flight. For the Artemis missions, this path is designed to place the Orion at a point that NASA calls the region of trans-lunar injection (TLI).
Since the RS-25 is a legacy engine design, NASA has to power it up to 111% of its normal power levels to lift the rocket. Like the earlier test, today's run also exceeded the 111% requirement and fired up the RS-25 to 113% power levels.
The test successfully ran for its 650-second duration, which also marked the first gimballing test during the current certification run. Exhaust gasses from the rocket's nozzle have a temperature of roughly 6,000 Fahrenheit and they travel at 14,000 feet per second. To cool the test stand, NASA uses as much as 240,00 gallons of water per minute, which generates large clouds of steam.
A normal test flight uses 6,500 gallons of liquid oxygen and 14,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen per minute. For a standard test run, this equates to a hot fire test consuming 55,000 gallons of oxygen and 140,000 gallons of hydrogen. NASA also has to prepare the fuel and oxidizer lines before the run, which requires an additional 8,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and roughly 6,000 gallons of hydrogen. During a test run, the fuel tanks are also refilled while the engine is running through barges parked nearby.
NASA has 12 engines that will power its second, third and fourth Artemis missions, after which it has to build new engines. These will use newer manufacturing techniques, and the current hot fire tests evaluate these processes to ensure they are up to the mark before the engines can power crewed Artemis launches.
You can take a look at the full test below.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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