Ground Test of Artemis Space Launch System Booster a Success

NASA completed its full-scale booster test for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket in Promontory, Utah, yesterday, firing one booster (horizontally) for the amount of time it would have to power the SLS rocket during liftoff and immediately thereafter—just over two minutes—producing more than 3.5 million pounds of thrust during that time! Data from the test will be used to evaluate manufacturing quality, motor performance and new materials and processes for potential use for Artemis missions beyond the initial Moon landing in 2024, NASA reports. Northrop Grumman is the lead contractor working with NASA on the boosters—“the most powerful boosters ever built for flight.”