NASA Artemis

NASA Artemis

Testing the Space Launch System Rocket Booster

To get to the Moon, first we need to test the rocket engines that will take us there. This week, we completed a full-scale booster test for our Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in Promontory, Utah. For a little over two minutes — the same amount of time that the boosters power the SLS rocket during liftoff and flight for each Artemis mission — the booster fired in the Utah desert, producing more than 3 million pounds of thrust.

The booster firing was conducted with new materials and processes that may be used for our SLS rocket boosters. Together with Northrop Grumman, the SLS boosters lead contractor, we’ll use data from the test to evaluate the motor’s performance for Artemis missions beyond the initial Moon landing in 2024.

Artemis is the next step in human space exploration as part of our broader Moon to Mars exploration approach. Experience gained at the Moon will enable humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.