NASA doesn’t need to test SLS anymore, but the Senate mandates it anyway, Ars Technica “But there was more to the NASA amendment. Wicker co-sponsored it and got his own language added to the bill. The Stennis-specific provision says NASA should “initiate development of a main propulsion test article for the integrated core stage propulsion elements of the Space Launch System, consistent with cost and schedule constraints, particularly for long-lead […]

NASA Stennis Space Center Site Status 20 March 2020 “Stennis Space Center is in Stage 4 for COVID-19 NASA leadership continues to make the health and safety of the Stennis workforce a top priority. Due to the rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the local area, and the number of self-isolation cases within our workforce, Stennis is moving into Stage 4 of our Agency coronavirus response framework effective Friday, […]

NASA Tests RS-25 Engine “The new year is off to a hot start for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). The engine that will drive America’s next great rocket to deep space blazed through its first successful test Jan. 9 at the agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. This is the first of eight tests for the development engine, which will provide NASA engineers with critical data on […]

Space Launch System Structural Test Stands to be Built at Marshall Space Flight Center “NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will have the largest cryogenic fuel tanks ever used on a rocket. Stands to test the tanks and other hardware to ensure that these huge structures can withstand the incredible stresses of launch will be built at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA is contracting for the construction of […]

Video: NASA Tests Deep Space J-2X Rocket Engine “NASA conducted a 40-second test of the J-2X rocket engine Sept. 28, the most recent in a series of tests of the next-generation engine selected as part of the Space Launch System architecture that will once again carry humans into deep space. It was a test at the 99 percent power level to gain a better understanding of start and shutdown systems […]