Look bigger. | The main phase of the 1st flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is seen at the B-2 test stand during a hot fire test on January 16, 2021 at NASA’s Stanislaus Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Image by NASA.
The planned eight-minute test firing of four engines of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) – a more powerful magrocket than Saturn’s V that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon – did not go as planned on Saturday, January 16, 2021. The test was conducted at NASA’s Stanislaus Space Center in Mississippi. The rocket was to launch the first man and first woman to return to the moon by 2024 in NASA’s Artemis program. The four engines on the booster stage had to fire for eight minutes during the actual launch. Instead, the engines fired for only a minute.
NASA said in a statement:
The team successfully completed the countdown and ignited the engines, but the engines caught fire for more than a minute. Teams are evaluating the data to determine what caused the initial closure and will determine the way forward.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstein, who took part in the test, said:
Saturday’s test was an important step in ensuring that the main phase of the SLS rocket is ready for the Artemis 1 mission. [an uncrewed test mission whose launch had been planned for later this year], And carrying crew on future missions. Although the engines did not fire for the entire period, the team worked successfully through the countdown, ignited the engines, and retrieved valuable data to inform our way forward.
Read more from NASA about the specifics of NASA’s January 16 test of the SLS Magrocket
“I want people to be encouraged because the future is so bright, and of course we’re going to learn a lot from this test.” – Manager Liked Affects today’s hot fire @NASA_SLS Rocket core stage. pic.twitter.com/vYfpxr56nG
– NASA (સા NASA) January 17, 2021
.@NASA_SLS Program Manager John Honeycutt provides a summary of today’s Rocket Core Stage Test NASAStennes: pic.twitter.com/RwpFwoiEli
– NASA (સા NASA) January 17, 2021
“The test article behind us is the flight hardware that will land Orion to the moon. This is unique. […] This article made the right decision to shut itself down. “- Manager Liked On this day @NASA_SLS Main phase testing. pic.twitter.com/hv7mRx7gAn
– NASA (સા NASA) January 17, 2021
The January 16 test – called the Hot-Fire Test – is the SLS test. Originally scheduled to take place in mid-November 2020, this final test needed to keep track of the timeline for the launch of the rocket on the lost Artemis 1 mission from mid-2021 to late, and finally, launch the final crew to the moon in 2024.
However, the SLS test series began with a successful model test – a type of vibration test – conducted in January 2020, the testing process slowed down after the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. Work on the site on Stannis was halted in March 2020 by NASA leadership, at the same time as U.S. Many people started working from home due to the epidemic. The center slowly reopened in mid-May, and another SLS test was completed at the main stage (the rocket’s orange “body”) in late June.
That test ensures that the rocket and the software and other electrical interfaces involved in the test stand function properly.
Look bigger. | On January 16, 2021, in testing, 4 RS-25 engines fired for less than a minute and produced 1.6 million pounds of thrust. Image by NASA.
The rocket has since gone through and passed the next four steps in what is known as the “Green Run” series:
– Test 3, in which engineers inspected all security systems that shut down operations during testing. During this test, they simulated potential problems.
– Test 4, the first test of each of the main propulsion system components connected to the engine. Command and control operations were checked, and the main phase was checked for leaks in the liquid or gas.
– Test 5, in which the engineers confirmed that the thrust vector control system can move four engines and test all relevant hydraulic systems.
– Test 6, which mimics the projection countdown, including step-by-step fuel processes. Core stage avionics were administered, and propellant loading and pressurelization were simulated. The testing team exercised and validated the countdown timeline and sequence of events.
Hot Fire is the final test in the Green Run Test series, a detailed assessment of the main stages of the space launch system before the start of Artemis I’s mission to the moon. Image by NASA.
Following the Jan. 16 hot fire test, engineers planned to renovate and configure the main stage for a trip to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where further tests will await the main stage.
Now – Biden will come to the administration office on January 20, 2021, and with the January 16 test failure – the schedule for the Artemis program is uncertain.
Read more: U.S. President Biden How will the space program rent?
This graphic explains what the 8 parts of the green run are for testing, as well as the individual components of the SLS core stage (orange rocket body). Image by NASA.
Bottom line: The failure of NASA’s SLS Magrocket hot-fire test on January 16, 2021, is a clear shock to NASA’s Artemis program. The first launch in the program – an emerging mission called Artemis 1 – was scheduled to begin in late 2021. The program was to take the next man and first woman to the moon by 2024. This goal now seems unlikely.
By NASA
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