A news conference was held around an hour after a successfull 500 second test firing of a J-2X Engine.
The engine is a key component of NASA's Space Launch System, which will carry the Orion spacecraft, its crew, cargo, equipment and science experiments beyond Earth orbit.
Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne is developing the J-2X engine for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The SLS rocket engines will use a liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion system, which will include the J-2X engine for the upper stage and RS-25D/E engines (space shuttle main engines) for the core stage.
