The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) just conducted the first successful full duration hot fire test of a new RS-25 rocket engine that will power the Space Launch System (SLS) rockets as part of its Artemis program. NASA's first Artemis launch took place in November last year, and it successfully sent the Orion spacecraft into orbit around the Moon. Not taking rest, the agency is busy preparing for the next launches, all of which will take crewmembers first to lunar orbit and then to the surface.
NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne Successfully Test Upgraded RS-25 Engine For 500 Seconds
Today's test came after NASA and its contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne first attempted a full-duration run in mid-December last year. While the RS-25 engine that powers the SLS rocket is one of the oldest engines in the world, having first flown on the Space Shuttle in 1981, NASA has made several upgrades to it throughout its life cycle, then preserved it after the Shuttle program ended.
The engine being tested is the RS-25E, a simplified version of the original design built according to the requirements of the SLS rocket. The previous engines used on the Shuttle had to be reused as the spaceship could land after each mission. On the other hand, the new engines will now power the SLS rocket, which unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9, cannot land nor can be reused. Therefore, a cheaper engine leads to NASA saving costs as the four engines powering the rocket are wasted after a launch.
This upgraded engine has several new components, such as its powerhead, nozzle and controllers. A nozzle on the rocket engine is responsible for 'shaping' its exhaust after combustion, while a powerhead is a key item that consists of several components, such as the pumps responsible for providing fuel to the combustion chamber and other equipment. Aerojet also uses new technologies, such as 3D printing as part of the production process.
The test was the first time the new engine was tested for a full-duration run - the same time it will be powered on for its flight on the SLS rocket. NASA's December test run was cut short at the 209.5-second mark by an engine monitoring system. The test is part of several certification tests to ensure the engine can fly humans to the Moon. A full-duration test sees the RS-25 fire up for 500 seconds, generating a whopping 418,000 pounds of thrust. The RS-25 is the most potent human-rated liquid rocket engine in America and also one of the most efficient, with a specific impulse of 452 seconds. It is also the most efficient first-stage liquid rocket engine in the world.
NASA's Stennis Space Center has several test stands, and today's test took place on the Fred Haise Stand. Previously known as the A-1 test stand, this facility is 200 feet tall, and the clouds of steam that resulted from the engine's test dwarfed even this massive structure. According to NASA, the RS-25 engine's exhaust can exceed 6,000 Fahrenheit in temperature, and to cool things down, water is flown below the engine, leading to massive steam clouds.
Besides testing the engines, NASA is also upgrading its facilities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and manufacturing the next three Artemis rockets simultaneously at Michoud. Today's test is the first of a few, and you can replay the live stream below.
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