The test took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and started at 16:40 ET. The test lasted just over eight minutes.
“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 engineering thing and the only rocket capable of powering the next generation of American Missions that will place the first woman and next man on the moon, “said Steve Jurczyk, NASA’s acting administrator, in a statement.
“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.”
This was the eighth and final series of Green Run tests designed to ensure that the rocket can launch Artemis missions that will land the first woman and next man per month in 2024. The first mission, the unmanned Artemis I, is scheduled for November. These tests can help you answer questions about rocket performance at different stages of launch.
The base’s rocket systems were loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of supercold fuel, and the four RS-25 missiles were launched at the same time. This simulates what the rocket will withstand during launch, although SLS will use about £ 8.8 million to lift Artemis I off the pad.
Between 18 and 20 tanks full of fuel filled six barges with liquid oxygen and hydrogen in the days before the test. The barges were then towed to the B-2 missile holder to complete the basic steps.
The second test lasted eight minutes, giving the teams the data they needed. Applause could be heard from the control room after being ordered to close it after eight minutes. Nothing determined the early closure.
During the test, the engines experienced three different power levels, as well as movements that simulate the direction of flight, called gimballing.
In the weeks before the test, the teams made sure that a liquid oxygen pre-valve was working that needed to be repaired. They also analyzed the data of the first test, including the parameters on the flight computer that completed the first test earlier than planned. And they made minor repairs.
“This longer hot fire test provided us with the wealth of data we needed to ensure that the SLS core stage could successfully power each SLS missile,” said John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, in a statement.
“During this test, the team performed new baseline operations for the first time, repeated some critical operations, and recorded test data that will help us verify that the baseline is ready for the first and future SLS flight for the program. Artemis at NASA. “
The Artemis program will begin with missions to the moon with a plan to rely on the SLS rocket as a way to send astronauts to Mars.
Teams will continue to evaluate the data collected from the test. After about a month of renovating the base stage and engines, the Pegasus barge will take the base stage to its next home.
The SLS rocket will be sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida so that it can be assembled and integrated, along with the Orion spacecraft designed for astronauts.
At Kennedy, teams have already stacked solid rocket boosters in the Artemis I vehicle assembly building.
Jurczyk said Thursday that the Biden administration has supported NASA and its goals and objectives for the Artemis program and the Moon to Mars agency’s strategy.
Returning to the moon
The first 18 astronauts of 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.
When astronauts explore the lunar south pole, which has never been visited by humans, they will build on the legacy and science gained during the Apollo program and take it into a new century.
After the unmanned flight of Artemis I in November, Artemis II will be a manned flight of the month 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 once, NASA said.
The Orion spacecraft can carry four crew members and support deep space missions, unlike previous short-haul vessels.
The Artemis III team for defining science has identified several priorities for this revolutionary 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 on the lunar poles – such as water and other resources that could be used by astronauts.
The agency also wants to set up an Artemis base camp by the end of the decade at the southern lunar pole.