14 DAY TRIAL // As the American space agency is stepping up its efforts to develop the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, engineers at the NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) have been hard at work over the past few months testing the J-2X motors that will power the heavy-lift delivery system.
Tests conducted on June 8 and July 24 showed that the powerhouse engines are more than capable of providing the amount of sustained lift needed to raise the Saturn V-sized rocket off the ground, and see it safely through into orbit.
NASA officials point out that Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's J-2X thruster is “the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen rocket engine to be developed in four decades.” On July 24, the machine proved its worth in a sustained 1,350-second test.
“Designed to be safe, affordable and flexible for crew and cargo missions, the SLS will continue America's journey of discovery and exploration to destinations including nearby asteroids, Lagrange points, the moon and ultimately, Mars,” a NASA press release explains.