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RS-25 lifted on A-1 test stand
NASA photo |
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - NASA conducted a successful hot fire test of an RS-25 engine Thursday, the culmination of four-plus years of testing for the RS-25 engines that will send the first four Space Launch System (SLS) rockets into space. "This completes four years of focused work by an exceptional Stennis test team," Stennis Director Rick Gilbrech said. Johnny Hefllin, deputy manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said "Engines are now a 'go' for missions to send astronauts forward to the Moon to learn and prepare for missions to Mars. We’re ready to provide the power to explore the Moon and beyond." The RS-25 rocket engine test era began Jan. 9, 2015, with a 500-second – more than 8 minutes – hot fire of RS-25 developmental engine No. 0525 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis. NASA tested the first SLS flight engine on March 10, 2016. Altogether, the agency has conducted 32 developmental and flight engine tests for a total of 14,754 seconds – more than four hours – of cumulative hot fire – all on the A-1 stand at Stennis. Having launched 135 space shuttle missions, these main engines are considered the most tested engines in the world. When the Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011, NASA still had 16 engines that ultimately were modified for SLS. (Source: NASA, 04/04/19)
