Sylvie Willis
NASA's Artemis mission is fuelled by chemistry, with optimized rocket fuel and advanced engine design. The rocket's liquid oxygen tank will shrink by an inch and a half in length and about 1.3 inches in diameter. The SLS rocket's two solid-fuel boosters consume 5.5 tons of propellant per second. The rocket booster exhaust is hot enough to fuse desert sand into glass during test firings. The RS-25 engine employed by NASA’s Artemis Space Launch System (SLS) rocket uses the LOX/LH2 propellant package. The RS-25 engines in the Artemis rocket utilize the LOX/LH2 cryogenic propellant package based on its superior specific impulse. Hydrogen is NASA's fuel of choice for Artemis I, but it's also challenging to manage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | Liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, liquid methane |
| Propellant Type | LOX/LH2 |
| Engine Type | RS-25 |
| Engine Burn Duration | About 8 minutes |
| Engine Thrust | 2 million pounds |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen |
| Fuel Consumption | 90,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen per minute |
| Fuel Depot | Fuelled by renewably sourced fuels |
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What You'll Learn
Liquid hydrogen fuel
The Artemis rocket is fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The RS-25 engines in the Artemis rocket utilize the LOX/LH2 cryogenic propellant package. The RS-25 engine was originally developed and used for NASA Space Shuttle missions. The RS-25 engines in the Artemis rocket produce more than 2 million pounds of thrust, which can keep eight 747 jumbo jets in flight. The engines will burn more than 90,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen per minute. The fuel tank in the SLS core stage will shrink by about 6 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter when loaded with 537,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit.
Liquid hydrogen is a preferred fuel for rockets that are not designed for reusability, such as the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This is because hydrogen has the highest performance once it is in use. Hydrogen provides more performance than other rocket fuels. However, hydrogen is challenging to manage as a fuel. It is a challenging molecule, and it has a very low density of 71 g/L. This low density means that it takes 2.7 times as much LH2 to match the LOX quantity for efficient combustion. Hydrogen can also cause metal embrittlement issues at any temperature, which can be especially problematic at low temperatures.
The SLS rocket is non-reusable, but the fuel delivery rockets are reusable. The SLS rocket is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built. It weighs 5.75 million pounds when fully fueled for launch and will climb nearly 500 feet straight up in just seven seconds. The SLS rocket's two solid-fuel boosters consume 5.5 tons of propellant per second. The heat generated by the boosters during their two minutes of operation, if converted into electricity, would power 92,000 homes for a full day.
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Liquid oxygen fuel tanks
The Artemis rocket is fuelled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The liquid oxygen tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid oxygen, which is super-cooled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit. The liquid oxygen tank is part of the core stage of the rocket, which also includes the four RS-25 engines and the liquid hydrogen tank. Together, the liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks hold a combined 733,000 gallons of propellant.
The liquid oxygen tank is located at the bottom of the core stage of the rocket. The core stage of the rocket is responsible for generating the thrust needed to overcome the pull of Earth's gravity. The four RS-25 engines generate more than 2 million pounds of thrust and burn more than 90,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen per minute.
The liquid oxygen tank is connected to the engines and other components of the rocket by ducts and vent lines, brackets, and other attachments. These attachments must be flexible to accommodate the shrinkage of the liquid oxygen tank during flight. The liquid oxygen tank is also equipped with a core stage flight computer, which controls all aspects of the rocket's climb to space.
The liquid oxygen tank is currently in the manufacturing phase at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The tank has completed proof testing and is being prepared for non-destructive evaluation to validate weld strength and ensure structural soundness.
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Fuel optimisation
The Artemis rocket is fuelled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Hydrogen is the preferred fuel for the Artemis mission because it delivers the highest performance once it is in use, despite being challenging to manage. The liquid hydrogen is supercooled to minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit, causing the huge fuel tank in the SLS core stage to shrink by about 6 inches in length and 1 inch in diameter. The four RS-25 engines in the core stage of the rocket generate more than 2 million pounds of thrust, burning more than 90,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen per minute.
The RS-25 engines in the Artemis rocket utilize the LOX/LH2 cryogenic propellant package based on its superior specific impulse. However, a significant difference between the densities and flow rates of LH2 and LOX prevents the RS-25 from operating on a single turbopump. To accommodate these differences, the RS-25 uses two separate turbopumps.
The availability of new materials and other technological innovations has allowed engineers to increase the power, durability, reliability, and efficiency of rocket engines. The RS-25 engines that power the Artemis SLS rocket are sophisticated cryogenic engines that incorporate decades of technology advancements and design optimizations, making them some of the most efficient and powerful rocket engines ever produced.
The Artemis mission will also use a lunar variety of Starship as its lander, which will require refuelling both to get to the moon and once there to continue landing and returning to the station. Starship uses liquid methane and oxygen, which could theoretically be sourced from renewable fuels.
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Fuel delivery rockets
The Artemis rocket uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The RS-25 engine, which powers the Artemis rocket, uses a LOX/LH2 propellant package. This propellant package has the highest specific impulse (Isp) value among modern rocket propellants, which means it can efficiently convert its mass into thrust. The RS-25 engine is a sophisticated cryogenic engine that has been continuously improved over five generations since its original development for NASA Space Shuttle missions in the 1970s.
The Artemis rocket also has solid-fuel boosters that consume 5.5 tons of propellant per second. These boosters generate enough heat during their two minutes of operation to power 92,000 homes for a full day. The rocket's liquid oxygen tank shrinks by 1.5 inches in length and 1.3 inches in diameter due to the extreme cold of the liquid oxygen at minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will propel the Artemis mission is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built. The SLS rocket is non-reusable, but the fuel delivery rockets are. The SLS rocket weighs 5.75 million pounds when fully fueled for launch and will climb nearly 500 feet straight up in just seven seconds. The rocket's upper stage will increase the velocity to 22,600 mph, which is enough to break out of Earth orbit and send the Orion capsule to the Moon.
The fuel delivery process for the Artemis mission involves a team of NASA mechanical and chemical engineers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This team, known as the Propellants and Life Support Branch, is responsible for procuring, storing, processing, and delivering various propellants for NASA and commercial launch providers. For the Artemis I mission, this included 2.75 million gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen and hydrogen, as well as hypergolic propellants such as hydrazine. The liquid hydrogen is delivered by tanker trucks to the NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B.
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Fuel tanks and cryogenic propellant
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will propel an uncrewed Orion capsule to the moon in the Artemis 1 mission is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built. The rocket uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The four RS-25 engines will burn more than 90,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen every minute before the core stage separates from the ICPS and Orion. The two propellant tanks for the rocket collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled propellant. The propellant powers the four RS-25 engines and must stay extremely cold to remain liquid.
The RS-25 engines in the Artemis rocket utilize the LOX/LH2 cryogenic propellant package based on its superior specific impulse. Cryogenic propellants are those that require extremely low temperatures, below -150 °C (-238 °F) or -423 °F in the case of the liquid hydrogen propellant for the Artemis rocket, to liquefy. The RS-25 engines are some of the most efficient and powerful rocket engines ever produced. They were originally developed and used for NASA Space Shuttle missions in the 1970s. Five generations of innovation later, the RS-25s that power Artemis’ SLS rocket are sophisticated cryogenic engines that incorporate decades of technology advancements and design optimizations.
The rocket engine design is critical to maximizing the power of modern rockets. Today’s rocket engine designs leverage foundational innovations developed during Germany’s World War II V-2 rocket program. The availability of new materials and other technological innovations has allowed engineers to increase the power, durability, reliability, and efficiency needed to power modern space missions.
The manufacturing of the propellant tanks includes welding, washing, and outfitting hardware. The internal cleaning process is similar to a shower to ensure contaminants do not find their way into the stage’s complex propulsion and engine systems prior to priming. Once internal cleaning is complete, primer is applied to the external portions of the tank’s barrel section and domes by an automated robotic tool. Following primer, technicians apply a foam-based thermal protection system to shield it from the extreme temperatures it will face during launch and flight while also regulating the super-chilled propellant within.
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Frequently asked questions
The Artemis mission is fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The SLS rocket's two solid-fuel boosters consume 5.5 tons of propellant per second. The rocket's liquid oxygen tank holds 537,000 gallons of liquid oxygen.
Hydrogen is NASA's fuel of choice for the Artemis mission.
The RS-25 engine used in the Artemis rocket utilizes the LOX/LH2 propellant package. The specific impulse of this propellant package is higher than that of the Liquid Methane/LOX package.
The Artemis mission will require 15 additional rockets for refueling compared to the Apollo mission. This is because the lunar lander used in the Artemis mission requires refueling both to get to the moon and to return to the station.
Hydrogen provides more performance than other rocket fuels. It has the highest performance once it is in use and is, therefore, the preferred fuel for the Artemis mission.
