0
0
NASA’s Next Moon Mission Commander Celebrates Successful Rocket Engine Test
The commander of NASA’s upcoming moon mission, Artemis 2, expressed his joy as he raised his hands in celebration during a recent powerful rocket engine test. Astronaut Reid Wiseman, along with crewmate Christina Koch, were captured on video at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi on March 6 witnessing the testing of the RS-25 engine that will power future iterations of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for moon missions.
The dramatic 10-minute test, shared by NASA on social media a few days later, was conducted to assess the engine’s capabilities for future Artemis missions to the moon and beyond. The RS-25 engine, a veteran of the space shuttle program, is being tested to certify an updated engine production process, utilizing innovative manufacturing techniques to ensure its reliability on upcoming missions.
Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch four astronauts around the moon in 2025, paving the way for future moon-landing missions such as Artemis 3 and Artemis 4. These missions will utilize new variants of the RS-25 engine with added thrust capacity. The ongoing 12-test series in 2024 aims to validate the performance of the new engine type for lead engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company.
Key Mission Details
During the March 6 test, engineers fired the certification engine for 10 minutes, longer than the typical duration required to launch the SLS rocket and propel astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft into orbit. The test included operating the engine at various power levels between 80% and 113% to assess its performance under different scenarios.
The Artemis 2 crew comprises Commander Wiseman, Mission Specialist Koch, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. Their mission, along with successive Artemis missions, aims to achieve the ambitious goals of the Artemis program, including establishing a long-term settlement near the moon’s south pole where water ice is abundant.
Despite previous delays for technical reasons, the Artemis missions signify a significant milestone in space exploration, with the Artemis Accords garnering support from 35 signatories committed to peaceful space exploration norms. These collaborative efforts underscore the international cooperation driving humanity’s exploration of the cosmos.
Image/Photo credit: source url
