Nasa successfully tests troubled giant moon rocket
- The Space Launch System programme has been beset by delays and cost overruns, including a test that had to be cut short in January
- The result is a win for the US space agency as it prepares to return to the moon
Nasa successfully carried out a key static test of its troubled Space Launch System rocket on Thursday, a win for the agency as it prepares to return to the moon.
The second “hot fire” test saw all four of the rocket’s RS-25 engines fire simultaneously at 4.40pm Eastern time for the full duration of eight minutes, producing a maximum of 1.6 million pounds of thrust (7.1 million newtons).
“The applause says a lot about how the team feels,” Bill Wrobel, an official in charge of the test, said during a live-stream after the control room began clapping.
“Looks pretty good right now,” he added.
The test’s success will come as a relief to Nasa after an earlier run involving the 212-foot (65-metre) high core stage at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi was cut short in January.