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NASA Conducts Hot Fire of RS-25 Engine
NASA successfully conducted a hot fire of RS-25 engine No. 2063 on Jan. 22 at the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, clearing the way for the engine to be installed for the agency’s Artemis IV mission.
The RS-25 engines help power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will carry astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis campaign.
Engine No. 2063 originally was installed on the SLS core stage for the Artemis II mission but was removed in 2025 after engineers discovered a hydraulic leak on the engine’s main oxidizer valve actuator, which controls propellant flow into the engine combustion chamber.
Following standard NASA procedures, teams removed the engine from the core stage and replaced the actuator.
Because NASA requires any significantly modified or repaired engine to undergo hot fire testing before flight, teams at NASA Stennis fired the engine for five minutes (300 seconds), at up to 109% of its rated power level in a test known as a confidence test that demonstrates the engine is ready for flight.
The test was conducted by a team of operators from NASA, L3Harris Technologies, and Sierra Lobo, Inc., the NASA Stennis test operations contractor. NASA Stennis provides critical data to L3Harris, the prime engines contractor for the SLS rocket.
With the successful test complete, engine No. 2063 is scheduled to be installed on the SLS core stage for Artemis IV. All RS-25 engines for NASA’s Artemis missions are tested and proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis before flight.
NASA is targeting as soon as February to send four astronauts around the Moon and back on Artemis II, the first crewed mission under the Artemis campaign. During launch, the SLS rocket will use four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, to help lift the Orion spacecraft and the crew away from Earth using more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is returning humans to the Moon for economic benefits, scientific discovery, and to prepare for crewed missions to Mars.
Read Updates at the Artemis BlogNASA Conducts Hot Fire of RS-25 Engine
NASA successfully conducted a hot fire of RS-25 engine No. 2063 on Jan. 22 at the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, clearing the way for the engine to be installed for the agency’s Artemis IV mission.
The RS-25 engines help power NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will carry astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis campaign.
Engine No. 2063 originally was installed on the SLS core stage for the Artemis II mission but was removed in 2025 after engineers discovered a hydraulic leak on the engine’s main oxidizer valve actuator, which controls propellant flow into the engine combustion chamber.
Following standard NASA procedures, teams removed the engine from the core stage and replaced the actuator.
Because NASA requires any significantly modified or repaired engine to undergo hot fire testing before flight, teams at NASA Stennis fired the engine for five minutes (300 seconds), at up to 109% of its rated power level in a test known as a confidence test that demonstrates the engine is ready for flight.
The test was conducted by a team of operators from NASA, L3Harris Technologies, and Sierra Lobo, Inc., the NASA Stennis test operations contractor. NASA Stennis provides critical data to L3Harris, the prime engines contractor for the SLS rocket.
With the successful test complete, engine No. 2063 is scheduled to be installed on the SLS core stage for Artemis IV. All RS-25 engines for NASA’s Artemis missions are tested and proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis before flight.
NASA is targeting as soon as February to send four astronauts around the Moon and back on Artemis II, the first crewed mission under the Artemis campaign. During launch, the SLS rocket will use four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, to help lift the Orion spacecraft and the crew away from Earth using more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is returning humans to the Moon for economic benefits, scientific discovery, and to prepare for crewed missions to Mars.
Read Updates at the Artemis BlogTESS Status Updates
4 min read
TESS Status Updates Jan. 23, 2026NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Observations
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) entered safe mode Jan. 15 and returned to normal science operations Jan. 18.
The operations team determined the issue arose when TESS slewed to point at a target, but its solar panels did not rotate to remain pointed at the Sun relative to the spacecraft’s new direction. The off-Sun angle of the solar arrays resulted in a slow discharge of TESS’s batteries. As designed and planned for in situations of this kind, the satellite entered a safe mode after detecting the low-power condition.
At the time of the safe mode, TESS was conducting a week-long observation of comet 3I/ATLAS and resumed those observations Jan. 18. Data from TESS is publicly available through archives at the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.
May 7, 2024NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) returned to science operations May 3 and is once again making observations. The satellite went into safe mode April 23 following a separate period of down time earlier that month.
The operations team determined this latest safe mode was triggered by a failure to properly unload momentum from the spacecraft’s reaction wheels, a routine activity needed to keep the satellite properly oriented when making observations. The propulsion system, which enables this momentum transfer, had not been successfully repressurized following a prior safe mode event April 8. The team has corrected this, allowing the mission to return to normal science operations. The cause of the April 8 safe mode event remains under investigation.
The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been scanning almost the entire sky looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar oscillations. Read more about TESS discoveries at nasa.gov/tess.
April 24, 2024NASA’s Planet-Hunting Satellite Temporarily on Pause
During a routine activity April 23, NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) entered safe mode, temporarily suspending science operations. The satellite scans the sky searching for planets beyond our solar system.
The team is working to restore the satellite to science operations while investigating the underlying cause. NASA also continues investigating the cause of a separate safe mode event that took place earlier this month, including whether the two events are connected. The spacecraft itself remains stable.
The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS recently celebrated its sixth anniversary in orbit. Visit nasa.gov/tess for updates.
April 17, 2024NASA’s TESS Returns to Science Operations
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) has returned to work after science observations were suspended on April 8, when the spacecraft entered into safe mode. All instruments are powered on and, following the successful download of previously collected science data stored in the mission’s recorder, are now making new science observations.
Analysis of what triggered the satellite to enter safe mode is ongoing.
The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been scanning almost the entire sky looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar oscillations. Read more about TESS discoveries at nasa.gov/tess.
April 11, 2024NASA’s TESS Temporarily Pauses Science Observations
NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) entered into safe mode April 8, temporarily interrupting science observations. The team is investigating the root cause of the safe mode, which occurred during scheduled engineering activities. The satellite itself remains in good health.
The team will continue investigating the issue and is in the process of returning TESS to science observations in the coming days.
The TESS mission is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Launched in 2018, TESS has been scanning almost the entire sky looking for planets beyond our solar system, known as exoplanets. The TESS mission has also uncovered other cosmic phenomena, including star-shredding black holes and stellar oscillations. Read more about TESS discoveries at nasa.gov/tess.
Media ContactsClaire Andreoli
(301) 286-1940
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Alise Fisher
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
NASA Headquarters, Washington
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