Ares 1 rocket engine tests are completed

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency says it has completed a series of tests on a key component of the J-2X engine that powers the upper stage of the Ares 1 rocket.

Engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said the test, conducted Friday, was the last in a series of tests on the J-2X's gas generator -- the driver for the turbopumps that start the engine, which will launch human explorers to the International Space Station and the moon.

The third phase of testing is scheduled next July.

Beginning in 2015, the Ares I rocket will carry the Orion crew capsule and as many as six astronauts and small payloads to the International Space Station, NASA said.

The Johnson Space Center in Houston manages NASA's Constellation Program, which includes development of the Ares I rocket, the Ares V heavy launch vehicle for cargo launches, the Orion crew capsule and the Altair lunar lander. Marshall manages Ares projects for the agency.