On Wednesday, NASA conducted an important rocket test for the future Artemis missions, which will bring Americans back to the moon to establish a “sustainable presence” there to support eventual missions to Mars.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket booster will be an integral part of powering travel back to the moon, and NASA is describing it as the “most powerful rocket booster ever built for flight.” The exhaust sustains such high levels of heat that it turns sand into glass.

#DidYouKnow @NASA and @NorthropGrumman test fire the #NASASLS solid rocket boosters in the Utah desert? The exhaust from these tests, like the Flight Support Booster test this Wednesday, is so hot it turns the desert sand into glass! MORE >> https://t.co/6FtLdz1qWT pic.twitter.com/pfZnijxQbb

— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) August 31, 2020

That’s exactly what happened with Wednesday’s test, conducted at the Northrop Grumman facilities in Promontory, Utah. The SLS booster was on its side and was seen on the NASA livestream (longer version on YouTube here) blasting off a fiery blast.

3…2…1… fire.

The @NASA_SLS rocket booster test is in progress. pic.twitter.com/LslCGsRqzs

— NASA (@NASA) September 2, 2020

This was the first full-scale test of the SLS booster, which burns 6 tons of solid rocket propellant every second and is capable of generating over 3.5 million pounds of thrust.

NASA will be evaluating data gathered during this test and using it as they work with Northrop Grumman to complete development of the Artemis I spacecraft, an unmanned mission that will use twin SLS boosters to send an Orion capsule around the moon.

The Artemis I mission is currently planned for late 2021, and NASA also tweeted a computer animation showing how the spacecraft will launch and release the Orion.

This rocket booster test will bring us one step closer to returning humanity to the Moon.

Check out the #Artemis I launch sequence, from pre-launch to @NASA_Orion spacecraft separation: pic.twitter.com/rMpj5zpVH4

— NASA (@NASA) September 2, 2020

Watch the video above, via NASA.

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