NASA starts the engine of the Artemis Moon rocket, on its mission to go to the Moon

On March 6, a group of highly trained operators of NASA conducted crucial hot ignition tests of the RS-25 enginemarking a significant moment in the preparation for the Artemis mission and the liftoff of the Artemis Moon rocket.

These tests, carried out at the bench of Fred Haise tests at Stennis Space Center NASA, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, represent a critical part of the certification process for the production of new engines intended to power the Space Launch System (SLS) on future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

This full-duration ignition It is the ninth in a scheduled series of 12 tests, during which engineers are collecting essential data to certify a revamped engine production process. This process incorporates innovative manufacturing techniques and is carried out in collaboration with the main engine contractor, Aerojet Rocketdyne, a company owned by L3Harris Technologies.

During the test on March 6, the certification engine was turned on for 10 minutes (600 seconds), exceeding the time needed to launch the SLS rocket and send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft into orbit. In addition, the test team carried out ignitions at different power levels, varying between 80% and 113%, in order to evaluate the engine's performance in various scenarios.

Notably, NASA's SLS rocket is powered by four RS-25 engines, complemented by a pair of solid rocket boosters. This combination generates more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, a vital force for the Artemis missions.

NASA will take the first woman to the Moon

The Artemis program, led by NASA, aims to establish the foundations for long-term scientific exploration on the moon. Additionally, he seeks to mark historic milestones by bringing the first woman, the first person of color, and the first internationally associated astronaut to the lunar surface.

All of this is presented as crucial preparation for future human expeditions to Mars, in an effort that will benefit humanity as a whole.

It is important to mention that testing of the RS-25 engines at Stennis Space Center is carried out by a diverse team of operators, including personnel from NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Servicesthe latter being the main contractor responsible for site facilities and operations.