Gizmo Lovers Blog » J-2X

J-2X Completes Full Duration Test Firing

MegaZone — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:20:16 +0000

While it was the previous recording setting test firing, NASA’s testing on the J-2X cleared another mark on June 13th with a 260 second test firing representative of a normal full mission duration.

NASA is testing the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne J-2X as part of their Space Launch System development effort. The SLS is intended to be NASA’s next heavy lift launcher, the de facto replacement for the Space Shuttle. SLS replaced the cancelled Constellation program as the latter was felt to be too ambitious given the budget constraints. However, a number of Constellation elements live on in SLS – including the J-2X, the Space Shuttle-derived Solid Rocket Boosters, and the Orion crew capsule.

J-2X Rocket Engine Continues Testing

MegaZone — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 08:44:37 +0000

I’ve posted about the ongoing testing of the J-2X a few times in the past. The J-2X is planned to be the upper stage engine for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS). There have been a couple of test firings since my last post. The first is a short duration firing:

The second is a record-breaking firing, running over nineteen minutes in duration. That’s far longer than the J-2X will need to fire in operation on a typical launch. Things are looking good so far for the J-2X:

Rockets, Rockets, Rockets – SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch To ISS 04:55ET This Morning!

MegaZone — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:11:29 +0000

There’s been some rocket-related activity while I was quiet. NASA continues the test program on the J-2X as part of the work for the planned Space Launch System (SLS). On Wednesday they had another brief test firing at Stennis Space Center:

Also related to the SLS, the last of the 15 remaining RS-25D flight engines, formerly known as the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME), has been delivered to storage at Stennis. The plan is to use up the existing RS-25D engines on the expendable core stage of the new SLS before switching over to new-build, cheaper RS-25E engines designed to be expendable. The RS-25D has a number of features required in their role as reusable engines on the space shuttle which just aren’t necessary for an expendable engine. But the existing engines still have life left, so they’ll go out in a blaze of glory on one last mission on the SLS.

In more immediate news, the SpaceX COTS 2+ Mission, aka Falcon 9 Flight 3, which has been rescheduled a few times is now set to launch this morning, Saturday, May 19, at 04:55ET. This will be the first launch of a commercial spacecraft, the Dragon capsule, to the International Space Station. A truly historic event – and they have a live webcast on YouTube! It is set to start at 04:15ET – you can join now, there is a timer counting down to the start of the webcast:

You can also watch on NASA TV:

Live video for mobile from Ustream

And for something different, the recent Lyrid meteor shower as filmed from the ISS:

NASA Begins Second Round Of J-2X Testing

MegaZone — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:27:35 +0000

We’ve seen a previous video on the evolution of the J-2X rocket engine. As I posted before, the original J-2 was used on the second (S-II) and third (S-IVB) stages of the mighty Saturn V moon rocket. The J-2X update work was begun as part of the now-defunct Constellation project, and it is being continued under the new Space Launch System project that replaced Constellation.

Now NASA has begun a second round of testing on the J-2X on the revised A-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

They also released a time lapse video of the J-2X being installed in the test stand:

The J-2X Rocket Engine – From Concept To Hot Fire

MegaZone — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:35:57 +0000

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center posted a video chronicling the evolution of the J-2X rocket, intended to be an upper stage for NASA’s new Space Launch System, from concept through to a successful hot fire test last November. The J-2X is actually the latest evolution of a design that reaches back to the Apollo era. The original J-2 was used on the second (S-II) and third (S-IVB) stages of the mighty Saturn V moon rocket. The J-2X updates the design with new materials and manufacturing techniques, and all new electronics. Even at 50 the J-2 is still an impressive engine.

The J-2 has also served as the basis for later engine designs, such as the linear aerospike engine intended for the cancelled X-33 program. The current J-2X program was initially part of the now-cancelled Project Constellation and was intended to be the upper stage engine for both the Ares I and Ares V. It is one of the components that was carried over into the replacement Space Launch System program when Constellation was cancelled.