Smoke & Fire! NASA tests the world’s most powerful rocket [Video]

Smoke & Fire! NASA tests the world’s most powerful rocket [Video]

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NASA SLS Rocket RS-25 Engine Test

NASAspace launch system (SLS)’s core phase shut down all four of its RS-25 engines on March 18 at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, fired.

The core stage contains the liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen tank, four RS-25 engines, and the computers, electronics and aeronautics that serve as the ‘brain’ of the rocket.

The hot fire was the last test of the Green Run series. The term ‘green’ refers to the new hardware working together to power the stage, and ‘running’ refers to the operation of all the components simultaneously for the first time. For the test, the 212-foot core phase produced 1.6 million pounds of thrust while anchored in the B-2 test standard at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The hot fire test included loading 733,000 liters of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen – reflecting the launch countdown procedure – and igniting the engines.

Second Fire Test of SLS Rocket Core Stadium

The key phase for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is seen in the B-2 test post during a second hot fire test, Thursday, March 18, 2021, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The four RS-25 engines fired during the test for a full duration of 8 minutes, delivering 1.6 million pounds of thrust. The fire test is the final phase of the Green Run test series, a comprehensive assessment of the core phase of the Space Launch System before the Artemis I mission is launched to the moon. Credit: NASA / Robert Markowitz

Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions, testing the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system before manning flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA is landing the first woman and the next man on the moon. SLS is the only rocket that Orion, astronauts and supplies can send to the Moon on a single mission.

Read Mega Moon Rocket passes the key test, Readies for Launch for more information on this SLS core phase test.

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