Toward Deep Space Exploration
On July 25, the RS-25 rocket engine for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), was test-fired for the third time in a row. This test ran for about 8.5 minutes at the agency's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. NASA officials said in a statement:
With this latest test, NASA continues to set the stage for deep-space exploration missions, achieving another milestone toward launch of the first integrated flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission-1...SLS will be powered at launch by four RS-25 engines, firing simultaneously to provide 2 million pounds [900,000 kilograms] of thrust and working in conjunction with a pair of solid rocket boosters to produce up to 8 million [3.6 million kg] pounds of thrust.