NASA Tests Engines for New Moon Flight

On October 21, at the Fred Haise Test Stand at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, RS-25 engine number 10001 was tested. The engine operated for nearly eight and a half minutes—500 seconds, the same duration as the RS-25's operation during the launch of the SLS rocket.

During the test, it was brought to 111% power—the thrust level required for new serial engines to launch the SLS and Orion into orbit. The objectives included acceptance tests of components for future Artemis missions and verification of new nozzle thermal protection. The work was carried out by NASA, L3Harris Technologies, and Nova Space Solutions.