This was the second test of the Space Launch System’s engine in less than a week.
On January 23, NASA completed the second test of the RS-25 engine, which will power the world’s most powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during the Artemis-5 mission to the Moon. The test lasted approximately 8 minutes and was conducted at the Johns Hopkins Space Center. It is NASA’s largest rocket engine test center located in Mississippi, Space writes.
The results of the new test are not yet known, but according to NASA, as during the first test of the modified RS-25 engine for the SLS launch vehicle on January 17, engineers studied the operation of new engine components, including nozzles, hydraulic actuators, flexible air ducts and turbopumps.
NASA engineers want to confirm the performance of the modified RS-25 engines in order to use them during flights to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. So far, 2 out of the planned 12 tests of the new propulsion system for the SLS rocket have taken place. These engines are to be used by the rocket during the flight to the Moon in 2029 as part of the Artemis-5 mission, when astronauts will fly to the Earth’s satellite. This mission is to be the third flight to the Moon with the crew.
Photo: NASA
We remind you that in 2022, the unmanned Artemis 1 mission was successfully completed, when NASA used the SLS launch vehicle to launch the Orion spacecraft for the first time. A year after the ship returned to Earth, NASA showed how it happened. In 2025, four astronauts will go into orbit around the Moon as part of the Artemis 2 mission, which was supposed to take place this year.
The change in the timing of this mission was influenced by the fact that due to technical difficulties and budget problems, NASA had to postpone to 2026 the first astronaut flight to the Moon in the 21st century during the Artemis 3 mission. Initially, the return to the Moon was scheduled for 2025.
During the Artemis 2, Artemis 3 and Artemis 4 missions, the SLS launch vehicle will use RS-25 engines, which were used by the space shuttles but have been improved. However, during the Artemis 5 mission, the rocket is to be equipped with an even more modified version of the RS-25 engines, which generate more thrust. According to NASA, these engines should produce a thrust of 109% of the initial power, although it is planned to increase this figure to 113%. The SLS is being developed by Boeing and reuses equipment from the space shuttle program for NASA’s new lunar program.
