Credit: NASA / SSC
NASA conducted a second RS-25 engine hot fire test on April 6, 2021 as part of a new series in support of engine development and production for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon.
The hot fire of more than eight minutes (500 seconds) was on the A-1 test site in NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. It is part of a scheduled seven-test series designed to provide valuable data for Aerojet Rocketdyne, main contractor of the SLS engines, as production of new RS-25 engines begins after the first four SLS flights.
Four RS-25 engines help power SLSs during launch, which are shot simultaneously to generate a combined £ 1.6million boost at launch and £ 2m thrust during takeoff. The RS-25 engines for the first four SLS flights were upgraded spacecraft main engines and completed the certification test.
Credit: NASA / SSC
During the new test series, drivers will focus on evaluating new engine components and reducing the risk of engine operation. They will steer the car under a range of operating conditions to demonstrate and verify its capabilities and to provide data to enhance the production of new engines manufactured with the latest and cost-saving technologies.
The initial test of the new series was also performed on January 28 for 500 seconds, the same time that the engines had to download during a launch to launch the SLS rocket. During the ensuing hot fire on April 6, drivers also gimbalated the RS-25 engine using a new NASA-designed vector control system for the first time since it was installed. ‘Gimbaling’ refers to how the engine should move on a tight circular axis to ensure the correct flight path.
NASA builds SLS as the world’s most powerful rocket. SLS will fly to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program, including the unveiled Artemis I test flight this year, which will pave the way for future flights with astronauts to explore the lunar surface and prepare for missions to March. RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services operators. Syncom Space Services is the main contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.