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It just ended Artemis I mission which, although unmanned, is a fundamental stage for the return of the human being on the moon but also for a more stable stay on our natural satellite looking (in the future) also at Mars. The space agency and its manufacturing partners are continuing construction of the NASA SLS space rockets and the Orion capsules that will fly in the next few years with humans on board.
Recall that the first mission of this cycle with humans on board will be Artemis IIscheduled for 2024. Astronaut candidates are expected to be announced in early 2023 to begin training thereafter. In 2025 (but it is an indicative year, some delays are possible) instead there will be Artemis III with the moon landing thanks to a modified version of the upper stage of Starship. In general, the years before 2030 will be quite intense (and after that they could further increase the missions).
New tests for RS-25 engines for the NASA SLS rocket
The Space Launch System uses four RS-25 engines which are used for the main stage recovered from the Space Shuttle orbiter. By nature “not reusable” of this heavy carrier the engines cannot be used again. The four units destined for NASA SLS rocket of the Artemis II mission are being integrated into the base of the main stadium while future developments are looked at.
During the day of tomorrow (21:00 in Italy) the space agency will test a newly produced RS-25 engine. The test will be performed at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. It will be a hot fire test which will provide important data for the production of future models. The estimated duration is 500″ and you will be able to track it online on Facebook and YouTube channels NASA.
The agency will test a single engine allowing to collect useful information to arrive at a complete certification of future units. As for the “originals” RS-25, new ones will also be produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The manufacturer has created a whole series of new components such as a new upper zone, new management of the oxidizer and turbopumps.
After the end of the Space Shuttle program (due to accidents and excessive costs) they remained 16 RS-25 engines that it was possible to reuse for NASA SLS. This will allow the needs of missions up to Artemis IV to be met. The newly produced engines will instead be used starting from Artemis V.
The choice of an ignition of 500″ (a little more than 8 minutes) is linked to the fact that the engines, during the launch, remain active for this period of time. The engine will be pushed up to 111% of its power with a drop in power up to 80% and then return to maximum thrust until the end of the test.
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