NASA held the second round of hot firing in a new test series for the RS-25 engine, a component of the Space Launch System rocket that would eventually send astronauts to the Moon.
The space agency said Wednesday it performed the test on Tuesday at Mississippi-based Stennis Space Center. The engine fired for a total of over eight minutes during the test.
Aerojet Rocketdyne, the RS-25 program's prime contractor, will collect the resulting data as it begins to make a new batch of RS-25 engines. NASA plans to conduct a total of seven tests under the new series.
A set of four RS-25 engines generates 1.6 million pounds of thrust upon launch and two million pounds as the rocket ascends. SLS will serve as a critical component of the Artemis program, which aims to revive manned space exploration.
The program's uncrewed test flight is scheduled to launch late this year. Syncom Space Services handles facility operations for the tests.
