A powerful but mostly unseen water system at work during rocket engine tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, underwent an upgrade in May.
Crews brought the High Pressure Industrial Water Facility’s 66-million-gallon reservoir to its lowest level since construction in the 1960s by pumping out about 40 million gallons of water over three days.
This brought the reservoir, measuring 800 feet in diameter and about 25 feet deep, down to the level needed to replace a 3,000 gallon per minute pump that supplies water for fire suppression to the test complexes.
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Before and After
Lowering the Reservoir
May 7, 2026 – May 11, 2026
For a typical RS-25 engine test supporting NASA’s Artemis missions, about five million gallons of water flow from the reservoir to the Fred Haise Test Stand. The water cools the engine exhaust that reaches up to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit, supplies water to the flame deflector and helps with sound suppression during a test.
A hot fire test produces critical data to ensure an engine is safe and reliable.
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after
Before and After
A View from the Thad Cochran Test Stand
May 7, 2026 – May 11, 2026
The water used during a test is recycled for future use as it flows back into the on-site canal system, before returning to the reservoir.
“The old pump that supported fire suppression for testing reached its end of life, so this project promotes reliability with the upgrade,” said Justin Lucas, NASA project manager.
In addition to a new pump, the piping has improved to a 14-inch-to-12-inch configuration.
Picture trying to drink water from a big cup using a tiny coffee stirrer. This is similar to how the previous pump relied on piping that narrowed from 14 inches down to 10 inches before reaching the pump. The water moved but required more work from the system.
“With the upgraded configuration, less velocity inside the pipe with the same amount of flow equals a longer lasting pipe, pump, and hardware,” said Lucas.
The water system upgrades have strengthened a vital system that supports NASA’s Artemis missions, along with commercial companies operating at NASA Stennis, home to America’s largest multiuser propulsion test site.
Source: NASA