Seacoast Echo
Green light for ‘Green Run’ at Stennis
Echo Staff
ASA officials announced Thursday that Stennis Space Center will play a huge role in America's efforts to return to the Moon and, ultimately, send astronauts to Mars.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Thursday that the agency will conduct the “Green Run” rocket testing campaign at Stennis.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Congressman Steven Palazzo said in a press release Thursday that they "welcome" the decision.
The Green Run will test the first Space Launch System (SLS) core stage to ensure safety and performance, NASA officials said.
"Currently under development, SLS will be the world’s most powerful rocket when completed and is the linchpin the NASA Artemis deep space exploration program," Bridenstine said. "The Artemis program will bring American astronauts back to the Moon by 2024."
“The Green Run test is a critical step in the development of the Space Launch System rocket and will help protect the taxpayers’ significant investment in this project,” Wicker said. “Administrator Bridenstine’s decision to go forward with the Green Run is a vote of confidence in Stennis Space Center and its dedicated workforce. The road back to the Moon and on to Mars runs through Hancock County.”
“This is terrific news for Mississippi’s role in the Space Launch System program," Hyde-Smith said. "We’ve long advocated Stennis as the best location for the next stage of engine propulsion testing, and it’s great that the leadership at NASA now agrees. The decision continues the tradition of the saying that if you want to go to space, you’ve got to first go through Mississippi.”
“NASA will do a Green Run test for the Space Launch System rocket prior to Artemis 1," Bridenstine said. "This test firing of the engines will ensure the safety of our astronauts and increase the probability of a successful Moon landing in 2024 by helping to discover potential issues earlier rather than later in the process.”
According to NASA's announcement, "During the Green Run testing, engineers will install the core stage that will send Orion to the Moon in the B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center … for a series of tests that will build like a crescendo over several months. The term 'green' refers to the new hardware that will work together to power the stage, and 'run' refers to operating all the components together simultaneously for the first time. Many aspects will be carried out for the first time, such as fueling and pressurizing the stage, and the test series culminates with firing up all four RS-25 engines to demonstrate that the engines, tanks, fuel lines, valves, pressurization system, and software can all perform together just as they will on launch day."
While Stennis Space Center has historically been the test site for NASA projects since it was established in the 1960s, officials said the Green Run project almost bypassed Stennis for testing right on the launch Pad at Kennedy Space Center.
Palazzo learned that the tests might not be performed at Stennis, and sent a letter to Bridenstine.
“For nearly six decades, rocket engine testing has remained in the capable hands of the men and women at Stennis Space Center,” Palazzo said. “As NASA’s largest rocket engine testing facility, it is imperative that Stennis Space Center continue supporting NASA’s mission to launch Americans back into space. I am always proud and overly-impressed with the work being done in Hancock County and know that reliable and safe engines will continue being tested at Stennis for years to come.”