Video: Success In Giant Rocket Test For NASA Preparing Return To Moon

NASA plans to place the first woman on the Moon by 2024 and build a lunar orbital station, before eventually embarking on a crewed mission to Mars.

NASA successfully carried out a key static test of its troubled Space Launch System rocket on Thursday, a win for the agency as it prepares to return to the Moon. Ready to see the world's most powerful rocket come alive?🚀 Watch this recap of our @NASA_SLS's hot fire test with all 4 of its engines firing, just as they will during the @NASAArtemis I launch to the Moon this year: https://t.co/lsjhVU9h30pic.twitter.com/wdUqG0HCGN The second "hot fire" test saw all four of the rocket's RS-25 engines fire simultaneously at 4:40 pm Eastern time (2040 GMT) for the full duration of eight minutes, producing a maximum of 1.6 million pounds of thrust (7.1 million newtons). "The applause says a lot about how the team feels," Bill Wrobel, an official in charge of the test, said during a livestream after the control room began clapping. "Looks pretty good right now," he added.