NASA will host a media teleconference at 9 a.m. EST Friday, Feb.19, to discuss the final test in the Green Run testing series for the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will launch the agencys Artemis I mission.
The team is targeting Thursday, Feb. 25, for the test, known as the hot fire, to take place at NASAs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The target date will be confirmed following a test readiness review later this week.
Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agencys website.
For thetest, engineers will power up all the core stage systems, load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or supercold, propellant into the tanks, and fire all four engines at the same time to simulate the rockets core stage operation during launch.
On Jan. 16, NASA conducted the first hot fire of the Artemis I core stage. All four RS-25 engines ignited successfully, but the test experienced an early shutdown after about 67 seconds due to conservative test parameters. After evaluating data from the first hot fire and the seven prior Green Run tests, NASA and core stage lead contractor Boeing determined that a second, longer hot fire test would provide valuable data to help certify the core stage for flight and pose minimal risk to the Artemis I core stage.
Participating in the briefing are:
- Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters
- John Honeycutt, SLS program manager, NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center
- Julie Bassler, SLS stages manager, Marshall
- Ryan McKibben, Green Run test conductor, Stennis
- Johnny Helfin, SLS liquid engines manager, Marshall
- John Shannon, vice president and SLS program manager, Boeing
- Jeff Zotti, RS-25 program director, Aerojet Rocketdyne
