NASA and Boeing may light up the center stage of the huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in a second hot-fire drill officially planned for Thursday, February 25.
This next Green Run hot-fire test will take place because, after 67 seconds, the first one got short of the needed 485 seconds. Program managers later claimed that when the hydraulic device in one engine reached "intentionally conservative" limits in its flight software, the early shutdown was activated. NASA announced on January 29 that a second test would continue.
The vital engine test is the last installment of an eight-part, year-long green run test designed to guarantee that the giant rocket would perform correctly on its first flight, carrying the uncrewed Artemis 1 spacecraft around the moon.
SLS Second Hot Fire Test: Are They Facing Challenges?
After a severe winter storm over the weekend left the area experiencing frozen pipes and power outages, the forthcoming test comes as Mississippi and most of the South are taking stock.
The SLS stages manager at MSFC, Julie Bassler, said in a press conference the team performed a very nice job and was really creative in finding out how to set up conditions around the places where they are employed to sustain the temperatures they need. "We have a really good system already in place that does help us there."
While SlashGear reported that the green run team is planning an eight-minute blast, the test staff underscored in a Space.com report there is a risk that the engines will not flame for that long. Bassler acknowledged that the test would last a little longer than four minutes to generate the data the team requires to achieve the remaining targets in the vehicle's verification program.
From there, seeing as things go is a question of seeing. Bassler said the ground team should run a maximum of eight minutes to exhaust all the petrol. But the test is rather stressful because if the hot fire has generated ample evidence and appears to be damaging the central stage itself, the team can cut it short.
If the examination next week is successful, workers at Stennis will have 30 days to clean up the portion of the rocket and ready it by barge for the ride to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Meanwhile, the majority of the Artemis 1 mission components are already at KSC, with integration underway. The work can lead to a few tests before launch until the core stage arrives.
SLS Second Hot Fire Test: Experts Remain Positive Despite Challenges
Tom Whitmeyer, the deputy associate administrator for the production of exploration systems at NASA Headquarters, said in a SpaceNews article that he was still hopeful that Artemis 1 might be deployed before the end of the year. He stated that a "deterministic" timetable would provide for a launch as soon as October, given that all goes well.
He admitted later in the call, though, that it's doubtful that anything will go precisely as expected. Since the launch will take a little longer, he said they have a learning curve to go through. "We're going to see a date later than that, and it's really difficult to pinpoint exactly what the date is going to be."
This year, he also anticipated the launch to take place. After the hot fire is complete and the entire Artemis 1 rig is in Florida, he promised, NASA will continue to provide updates on the expected launch date.
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