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Washington, September 3
In preparation for future Artemis missions to the Moon, NASA has completed a large-scale booster test for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
NASA and Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for SLS thrusters, will use the data from the test, conducted successfully on Wednesday, to assess engine performance using potential new materials and processes that can be incorporated into future thrusters, the agency said. US space
“The landing of the first woman and the next man on the Moon is just the beginning of NASA’s Artemis Program,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
“The SLS flight support booster shot is a crucial part of sustained missions to the Moon. NASA’s goal is to take what we learn living and working on the Moon and use it to send humans on early missions to Mars. “. SLS thrusters are the largest and most powerful thrusters ever built for flight, according to NASA.
The rocket’s two boosters provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to launch future NASA space missions through the Artemis lunar program. NASA and Northrop Grumman have previously completed three development engine tests and two qualification engine tests.
“NASA is progressing simultaneously in the assembly and manufacturing of the solid rocket boosters for the first three Artemis missions and is looking toward missions beyond the initial landing on the Moon,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program Manager at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. .
“Today marks the first flight support booster test to confirm rocket engine performance using potential new materials for Artemis IV and beyond.” NASA is working to get the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024.
The SLS rocket, the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway, and the human landing system are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration.
SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission, NASA said. IANS
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