NASA tests booster for most powerful rocket for space mission

A booster for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, has been successfully tested, an advance that may pave the way for future human exploration in deep space, including the journey to Mars. 

The booster was fired up for its second qualification ground test at test facilities in Utah in the US, NASA said. 

This was the last full-scale test for the booster before SLS’s first uncrewed test flight with NASA’s Orion spacecraft in late 2018, a key milestone on the agency’s journey to Mars. 

“This final qualification test of the booster system shows real progress in the development of the Space Launch System,” said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA. 

“Experiencing the sound and feel of approximately 3.6 million pounds of thrust, helps us appreciate the progress we’re making to advance human exploration and open new frontiers for science and technology missions in deep space,” he said. 

The booster was tested at a cold motor conditioning target of 4.4 degrees Celsius – the colder end of its accepted propellant temperature range.