J-2X rocket engine ready for testing by NASA

William Atkins
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 22:25

Science - Space

The U.S. space agency NASA announced on June 13, 2011, that it is ready to test its new upper stage rocket that will propel the United States past low-Earth orbit and toward the planets of our Solar System.

 

The J-2X rocket engine is now fully assembled, and it is positioned on the A-2 Test Stand at the NASA Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

According to the NASA article 'Upper Stage Engine Ready For Testing At NASA's Stennis Space Center," Mike Kynard, who is the manager of the J-2X at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, stated, "An upper stage engine is essential to making space exploration outside low-Earth orbit a reality. The J-2X goes beyond the limits of its historic predecessor and achieves higher thrust, performance, and reliability than the J2."

Kynard added, "We are thrilled to have the engine in the test stand to validate our assumptions about engine performance and reliability."

The J-2X, which was designed and manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, California, will begin a series of 10 test firing starting in the middle of June 2011 and lasting for several months.

The J-2X is fueled by liquid oxygen (LO2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2). When fired to propel a spacecraft into low-Earth orbit (LEO), one J-2X rocket engine will generate approximately 294,000 pounds of thrust (1,310 kiloNewtons).

When fired a second time to propel a spacecraft from LEO to the Moon, Mars, or other destination, it will generate 242,000 pounds of thrust.

The NASA article also quotes Gary Benton, the manager of the J-2X engine testing project in Mississippi. Benton stated, "We are excited to have a new engine in the A-2 Test Stand. of the J-2X engine marks the beginning of the third major rocket engine test project on this historic stand."

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