NASA Conducts RS-25 Engine Test for Future Artemis Missions

NASA successfully conducted a hot fire test of RS-25 engine No. 10001 on October 21, 2026. The test took place on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Test teams fired the developmental engine for approximately eight-and-a-half minutes, or 500 seconds, which matches the duration RS-25 engines operate during the launch of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

During the test, operators pushed the engine to a 111% power level. This thrust output is consistent with the requirements for new production engines designed to launch the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft into orbit. The primary objectives of this test were to perform acceptance testing of RS-25 flight components intended for future Artemis missions and to validate the performance of a new thermal protection system. This system is crucial for shielding the RS-25 engine nozzle from the extreme thermal environment encountered by the SLS during launch.

While this specific developmental engine will not be used in flight, the hot fire test provided NASA and its prime contractor, L3Harris Technologies, with essential data. This data is critical for improving engine performance and overall reliability for subsequent missions. Four RS-25 engines collectively generate up to 2 million pounds of thrust to propel the SLS rocket for each Artemis mission.

All RS-25 engines undergo rigorous testing and are certified as flightworthy at NASA Stennis before deployment. These tests are executed by a collaborative team comprising operators from NASA, L3Harris, and Nova Space Solutions.

What to watch: Continued development of propulsion systems for Artemis lunar missions.

Editor's note: The draft accurately synthesizes the technical details of the engine test while maintaining the scope of the original report.