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NASA carried out a scorching fire from the center stage of the space launch system, but all four main engines on the stage shut down just over a minute after a test designed to last 8 minutes.
Eight minutes is about the same time it will take to launch future missions to the Moon.
The test was a vital milestone for NASA’s long-delayed space launch system. The SLS will play a key role in the agency’s Artemis program to return US astronauts to the moon by 2024.
The main stage set its four RS-25 engines on fire at 5:27 p.m. at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
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It was not immediately clear why the engines had stopped. At a briefing last week, officials from NASA and officials from Boeing, the prime contractor for SLS, said they needed the static fire test to last at least 250 seconds to collect the necessary data.
“If we had a premature shutdown for some reason, we get all the engineering data we need to be confident in the vehicle at around 250 seconds,” said John Shannon, vice president and program manager. SLS at Boeing, according to Space News.
About 1,400 sensors monitored the core for vibration, temperature, acoustics and stress.
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NASA said in a statement that the software “acted appropriately” and ended the test.
“At this point, the test was fully automated. During the firing, the on-board software acted appropriately and triggered a safe engine shutdown,” the statement said.
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The SLS was originally scheduled to make its in-flight debut in 2017, but has been plagued by delays and budget shortfalls.
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