Pratt & Whitney Completes Chill Test of Nasa's J-2X Engine

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has completed a chill test and 1.9-second ignition test of the J-2X upper-stage engine, which is in development stages to power Nasa's next era of human spaceflight, at John C Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, US.

The J-2X is based on a proven design that could provide a safe and reliable solution for Nasa's future heavy-lift launch vehicles, the company said.

The J-2X engine runs on liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel and will generate 294,000lb of thrust to lift a spacecraft into low-Earth orbit.

The engine will continue testing over the next several months, ahead of Congressional deliberations on additional funding for Nasa.