NASA TV to Air Second Rocket Test for Artemis Moon Missions
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (NASA PR) — NASA is targeting a two-hour test window that opens at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 18, for the second hot fire test of the core stage for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The agency plans to begin live coverage on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app approximately 30 minutes before the hot fire. The team will refine the timeline as it proceeds through operations. NASA will provide updates on the operations and the target hot fire time at @NASA and the Artemis blog.
On test day, engineers will power up all the core stage systems, load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or supercold, propellant into the tanks, and fire the rocket’s four RS-25 engines at the same time to simulate the stage’s operation during launch, generating 1.6 million pounds of thrust.
A post-test briefing will follow on NASA Television approximately two hours after the test.
The hot fire is the eighth and final test of the Green Run series to ensure the core stage of the SLS rocket is ready to launch Artemis missions to the Moon, beginning with Artemis I. The core stage includes the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank, four RS-25 engines, as well as the computers, electronics, and avionics that serve as the “brains” of the rocket.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA is working to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon to pave the way for sustainable exploration at the Moon and future missions to Mars.
For more information about the Green Run test series, visit:
11 responses to “NASA TV to Air Second Rocket Test for Artemis Moon Missions”
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Interesting no one seems to remember today is the 95th Anniversary of the first flight of the liquid fuel rocket that Dr. Robert Goddard designed. It reached 41 ft in altitude and traveled 184 ft during its flight.
a waste of money in a program that is simply failing
We are going back to the Moon to stay. And the most powerful launch vehicle ever built is going to take us there. The world will give the U.S. a standing ovation when the SLS lifts off- except those who hate America. To all the gullible spacex fanboys and shills….you will wail and gnash your teeth about the Space Agency rocket and it shows exactly where your loyalties lie.
Did you happen to see the new Starship landing video that SX just released? Pretty cool, huh?
I watched three in a row blow up and yes, that was very cool.
Even cooler when the first one doesn’t blow up.
You know…you’re right. I haven’t seen any SLS rockets blow up upon landing. Good work Boeing.
You will see some good work today you drip.
Heh.
No part of SLS or anything launched on it is ever going to get to the Moon. The cheering will occur when SpaceX’s Starship returns Americans to the Moon after more than a half-century of absence atop what will actually be the most powerful launch vehicle ever built – Super Heavy.
I have predicted that there will be enough glitches to raise questions, but it will be shipped to the cape anyway, possibly needing waivers. .Threw this up here so people can ridicule me when proved wrong.