Related MediaMar 19, 2021 09:24:58 IST
NASA completed an engine test of firing on its lunar rocket Thursday, after its first attempt in January ended prematurely. This time, the four main engines of the rocket’s main stage remained on fire for the entire eight minutes. An applause started out in the control room at the Mississippi Space Flight Center at one point when the engines shut down the test center. NASA officials said sending astronauts back to the moon was a major milestone, but declined to say when that could happen or even whether the first unmanned flight would take place before end of the year as expected. John Honeycutt, NASA ‘s program manager for the SLS Space Launch System or rocket, said everything seemed to be going well in Thursday’ s test firing. “The main stage got … A-plus today,” he told reporters.
During the first test, the engines fired for just a minute, automatically cut by tight test boundaries that were smooth for replay. Valve issues also had to be resolved before Thursday’s count.
With this critical test finally over – and assuming all went well – NASA can now send the rocket piece to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for its launch.
Noting that they will take it one step at a time, officials declined to say whether this first SLS launch will take place before the end of the year as expected or by 2022. Rocket launches SLS Orion empty capsule to moon and back.
The four engines tested Thursday actually went into orbit on NASA’s space shuttle and were upgraded for the more powerful SLS system. The orange heart rate is similar to the fuel tank outside the shuttle, which held the liquid hydrogen and oxygen that fed the main engines.
Boeing built the main stage, which is 212 feet (65 meters.)
The Trump administration had been pushing for a landing with astronauts by 2024, a date that is increasingly difficult if not impossible to achieve at this point. The current White House has not published a revised timeline.
NASA’s Space Commander Steve Jurczyk said the space agency is conducting an internal study to determine a record for the astronaut’s moon – “what can we do” based on budgets. The review will take a few months, he noted.