NASA tests RS-25 engine at Stennis Space Center for SLS rocket

NASA conducted a hot-fire test of developmental RS-25 engine No. 10001 on October 21 at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, NASA News reported. The test took place on the Fred Haise Test Stand. [1][4]

Engineers fired the engine for 500 seconds, which is almost eight-and-a-half minutes, according to NASA News. This duration matches the exact length of time that RS-25 engines must burn during an operational launch of the uncrewed and crewed Space Launch System rocket. Test operators also pushed the engine up to the 111 percent power level to match the thrust required for future Artemis program missions. [1]

The RS-25, originally known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine, is a liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engine that was previously used on NASA's Space Shuttle and is currently used to power the Space Launch System [5]. Separately, Space and Starlust.org reported that NASA released updated timeline information regarding lunar lander developments from SpaceX and Blue Origin ahead of the planned Artemis III and Artemis IV missions. [2][3][5]

The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon using the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft [6]. Continuous engine testing on developmental hardware allows NASA engineers to certify updated components and higher thrust levels for upcoming lunar flights. [1][6]