NASA engineers conducted the first in a new round of tests on the next-generation J-2X rocket engine Feb. 15 at Stennis Space Center. The 35-second test continued progress in development of the engine that will provide upper-stage power for NASA's new Space Launch System, which will enable missions farther into space than ever.

The SLS Program is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The new round of tests on J-2X engine number 10002 on the A-2 Test Stand at Stennis will provide critical performance data for the engine. Once the series is completed, the engine will be transferred to the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis to undergo a series of gimbal (or pivot) tests for the first time.

The J-2X engine is the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen engine developed in the United States in decades. It is being designed and built by NASA and partner Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif.

J-2X is a highly efficient and versatile advanced rocket engine with the ideal thrust and performance characteristics to power the upper stage of NASA's Space Launch System, a new heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

Fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, the J-2X builds on heritage designs but relies on nearly a half-century of NASA spaceflight experience and technological and manufacturing advances to deliver up to 294,000 pounds of thrust, powering exploration to new destinations in our solar system.