NASA and Boeing tested the structural integrity of Space Launch System (SLS), according to a release from Boeing.
Simulating the pressure placed on SLS on its way to space, electric motors and impulse hammers shook and pounded the rocket’s core stage as part of the rigorous testing procedure.
Assessing how the rocket performs under the rigors of launch is one part of the overall test program called the Green Run.
Green Run will conclude with the “hot fire” test of all four engines simultaneously. The 8.5-minute test of the engines will replicate the 2 million pounds of thrust required at launch.
Alabama’s aerospace industry has led the effort to build the most powerful rocket ever built.
The SLS program is managed out of Marshall Space Flight Center. Developed by Boeing in Huntsville, and powered by four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines, SLS stands 212 feet high and 27.6 feet in diameter.
Watch the complex transport and installation of SLS:
Tim Howe is an owner of Yellowhammer Multimedia
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.