SLS Core Stage Green Run Test

NASA's Space Launch System Core Stage Green Run test series began in January and is designed to validate the core stage design and performance. It also verifies the readiness of the stage to be shipped to Kennedy Space Center for final processing and integration before launch. The test series will culminate with the first hot-fire test of the complete core stage, which is powered by four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines. These four engines will generate 1.6 million pounds of thrust while consuming roughly 700,000 gallons of propellant during the test.

The Core Stage Green Run includes several first-time events for the world’s largest rocket stage:

• First propellant fill-up for the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks
• First end-to-end flow test of propellants and other fluids through the complete stage
• First operational test of flight avionics
• First firing of all four RS-25 engines together

The SLS is America’s Exploration rocket, and it is built on the most powerful and proven propulsion system in the world and it is real! The Core Stage Green run is the first step in returning to the Moon and eventually sending humans to Mars.