NASA has successfully launched the base stage of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the second time on Thursday afternoon.
The four powerful lunar missile RS-25s fired for eight minutes and 19 seconds at about 4:37 p.m. ET at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The hot run test of the 212-meter-high base stage’s “Green Run” series marks what NASA says is a “critical stage” ahead of their future lunar missions.
The basic stage design will be used for all 322-meter-tall SLS missile configurations, and the team will use data from their tests to validate the design for the flight.
“SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, and during today’s test, the central stage of the rocket generated over 1.6 million pounds in seven seconds. SLS is an incredible feat of engineering and the only rocket capable of powering America’s next-generation missions, which will place the first woman and next man on the moon, “Steve Jurczyk, NASA’s interim administrator, said in a statement on Thursday.
“Today’s hot fire test of the base stage for SLS is an important step in NASA’s goal of bringing people back to the lunar surface – and beyond,” he added.
NASA’s first test of the SLS base stage hot fire was conducted on January 16, when the four engines started for about a minute. The test was stopped earlier than planned due to an error in the hydraulic system, which reinforced the need for a second longer fire test.
The second hot fire test allowed engineers to test a multitude of operational conditions, such as force steering, up and down acceleration, and powering the engines by up to 100%.
The central stage fuel tanks can hold over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel and can simulate almost 2 million pounds.
In addition, the stage – for which Boeing is the main contractor – is technologically advanced, with sophisticated flight software and avionics systems, propulsion systems and hydraulic systems.
The stage will then be renovated as needed and shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch of the Artemis I mission.
Artemis I, which is very tentatively scheduled to take off by the end of the year, will use an SLS rocket to send an unmanned Orion spacecraft on a flight around the moon and back to Earth.
“Today is a wonderful day for NASA, Stennis and this nation’s human space exploration program. This final test in the Green Run series is a major milestone for the return of this nation to the moon and the eventual mission to Mars, “said Stennis Center director Richard Gilbrech. “Many people across the agency and across the country have contributed to this basic SLS stage, but the special recognition is due to the mixed team of test operators, engineers and support staff for their exemplary effort in conducting the test today.”
The John C. Stennis Space Center is the largest missile in the country engine testing complex.