NASA in Alabama: No decision yet on Artemis test fire

‘Major component failure’ brings critical test of NASA’s giant moon rocket to a halt

The hot fire is the final test of the Green Run test series, a comprehensive assessment of the Space Launch System’s core stage prior to launching the Artemis I mission to the Moon. (Credits: NASA Television)

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is “still looking at data to see if we have enough to go forward” from this month’s prematurely shut down test fire of its Space Launch System four engines, the center director said Friday.

The engines were fired Jan. 16 “for the first time ever in this configuration,” Singer told a meeting of Downtown Huntsville, Inc..

The test ran “about 67 seconds” instead of the planned eight minutes. “I’ll admit we wanted it to go to the full duration,” Singer said. But she emphasized this was “not just test hardware but flight hardware, so we had to do tender loving care with it.”

All parts of SLS except the core stage have been delivered to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a planned launch at the end of this year. “We’re still looking to see if we have enough to go forward,” Singer said. “We have a plan that says we either continue to another green run or we go straight to the Cape.”

“Green Run” is the NASA term for a test of all elements of SLS before launch. “What you learn on a Green Run is just invaluable,” Singer said. “It sets you up to have the right flight rationale as you go forward.”

Singer also mentioned another key part of the Artemis program to return to the moon managed by Marshall - the human landing system – and said NASA “will soon be making down-selects” in the competition to build the landing system.

A communications “blackout” is in force, Singer said, explaining why she could not speak more about Marshall’s role in the lander program. A blackout means managers of a program cannot speak to any of the competitors for the job.

Marshall is leading development of America’s next moon lander. Three competitors – Blue Origin, Dynetics of Huntsville, and SpaceX – are competing to build it and Lisa Watson-Morgan, the landing system manager, is based at Marshall in Huntsville.

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