NASA’s ‘megarocket’ roars into life – but only briefly, putting launch in jeopardy
NASA's deep space exploration rocket has briefly ignited its four engines for the first time.The test was a crucial step towards a debut unmanned launch later this year under NASA's Artemis programme, the Trump administration's mission to return US astronauts to the moon again by 2024. The rocket, built by Boeing, roared into life for just one minute and 15 seconds at the test facility in Mississippi.The engines generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust, consuming 700,000 gallons of propellants while on NASA's largest test stand, which is 35 storeys tall.It was well short of the roughly four minutes that were needed to keep its development on track for it first launch in November. ...
