NASA Continues Key Certification Test Series with RS-25 Hot Fire

NASA conducted another hot fire test of an RS-25 engine May 23, continuing a key certification series designed to facilitate production of new engines for future deep space missions. Operators at the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, fired an RS-25 certification engine for more than 8 minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time the engines must fire to help launch NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on Artemis missions to deep space. The engine also fired up to 113% power, exceeding the 111% power level needed during launch and providing a margin of operational performance safety. The May 23 hot fire marked the eighth in a 12-test series designed to certify production of new RS-25 engines for future missions by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne. Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to help launch each SLS rocket, producing up to 2 million pounds of combined thrust.