NASA tests developmental RS-25 engine for Artemis programme
A 500-second ground test at Stennis assessed flight components and a new nozzle thermal protection system. The developmental engine will not fly.
NASA test teams fired developmental RS-25 engine No. 10001 for 500 seconds on 21 October at the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine reached the stated 111% power level.
The test ran for the same length of time RS-25 engines operate during a launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Its objectives included acceptance testing flight components for future Artemis missions and validating a new system designed to protect the engine nozzle from launch heat.
NASA and its prime contractor, L3Harris Technologies, gathered data to support improvements to engine performance and reliability. The test team also included operators from Nova Space Solutions.
Engine No. 10001 is developmental and will not be used in flight. NASA says RS-25 engines are tested at Stennis before being considered flightworthy.
Four RS-25 engines can produce up to 2 million pounds of combined thrust to help launch the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for Artemis missions.
