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Update for 9:48 pm: NASA test-fired its first Space Launch System core booster Saturday, but the trial did not go as planned. Read our full story here.

NASA will attempt to fire the engines on its Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket for the first time today and you can watch the fiery action live online.

As part of a critical test before the rocket behemoth lifts off for the first time, the agency plans to ignite the four main engines on its heavy-lift core booster this at about 5 p.m. EST (2200 GMT) today, Jan. 16. The test, which is designed to simulate the core stage's performance during launch, will take place at the agencys Stennis Space Center, in Mississippi.

You can watch the test live here and on the Space.com homepage, courtesy of NASA, beginning at 4:20 p.m. EST (1920 GMT). You'll also be able to watch the test directly from NASA here.

Today's engine test is the final step in the agency's "Green Run" series of tests designed to ensure the SLS rocket is ready for its first launch called Artemis 1 that will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon. That first flight is scheduled to blast off later this year.

Video: How NASA's SLS megarocket engine test works

The SLS is NASA's next-generation heavy-lift rocket that will ferry astronauts to the moon as part of the agencys Artemis lunar program. Launching by the end of this year, Artemis 1 will be the first in a series of missions that will culminate in NASA's first crewed lunar landing since the Apollo era. That mission, called Artemis 3, could happen as soon as 2024 if all goes as planned.

To that end, NASA is putting the massive SLS rocket's four RS-25 engines through their paces prior to launch. The agency has been systematically testing each engine and conducting launch-day procedures such as fueling to ensure all systems are working as expected.

The upcoming hot-fire engine test, is the final step in the testing process. On Saturday, engineers will load the SLS core booster with over 700,000 gallons of superchilled propellant before igniting all four of its RS-25 engines at once. This will mark the first time that four RS-25 engines will fire at the same time. (The same engines powered the space shuttle but it took only three to make the orbiter fly.)

Related: These are the space missions to watch in 2021

Burning for approximately 8 minutes the duration they'll burn during a launch to the moon the RS-25 quartet will generate a whopping 1.6 million pounds of thrust during the test.

"When we ignite the engines, the stage actually will think it is flying," Ryan McKibben, NASA's Green Run test conductor at Stennis Space Center, said during a pre-test media conference on Jan. 12. "That's what it's built to do. But of course, it won't go anywhere because the stage is fastened at the same locations where the solid rocket boosters anchored would be anchored."

As part of the agencys Green Run testing schedule, the megarocket underwent two wet dress rehearsals, during which fuel was loaded, and subsequently drained. Officials said that the tests went well; however, they were not without issue. One of the fueling ops ended early, one was delayed due to temperature issues, and the campaign was also affected by multiple tropical storms as well as the global pandemic. As a result, the agency chose to delay the hot fire test.

Photos: NASA's 1st SLS megarocket core stage for the moon has its engines

Agency officials explained that the delays proved fruitful as the team was able to revise procedures and update the terminal countdown sequence based on pre-flight testing.

The test is scheduled to take place late Saturday afternoon, and that morning, the day will start with a go/no-go meeting where the team will decide to begin fueling procedures. Once that's underway, a final poll will be conducted at T-10 minutes to determine if its safe to proceed with the hot fire test.

The engines will burn for 485 seconds, or roughly 8 minutes. Once the test is complete, a data review will begin, and is expected to take several days, according to NASAs Julie Basser, program manager for SLS at Marshall Space Flight Center.

"This is the first time we fired up this core stage and this is a huge milestone for us," she said. We are doing everything we can to ensure that we get the most out of this hot fire test and we are ready for launch. Testing provides an opportunity to learn and make sure that the rocket is ready to fly astronauts to the moon."

If all goes as expected the core stage will be refurbished and then shipped to Kennedy Space Center to prepare for launch. Its expected arrival is slated for sometime in February, where it will be integrated with the rest of the vehicle already on site.

Currently, the massive rocket's solid rocket booster segments are being stacked one by one in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Along with the four RS-25 engines, the SLS will be powered by two solid rocket boosters that consist of five segments fitted together. (Each booster is made from recovered segments that were used on NASA's space shuttle program.)

Once fully assembled, each of the two solid rocket boosters will stand 177-feet-tall (54-meters) and produce more than 3.6 million pounds of thrust at liftoff the bulk of the power during the first two minutes of launch and flight.

Related: Coronavirus delays key tests of NASA's new SLS megarocket

This first SLS rocket will be used for the Artemis 1 mission, which is an uncrewed flight that will send NASA's Orion space capsule on a trip around the moon, helping pave the way for an eventual planned lunar landing near the moons south polar region.

Orion is the third vehicle NASA currently has in development that will eventually fly NASA astronauts to low-Earth orbit and beyond. The first, SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule entered service in 2020 as it ferried astronauts to the space station in May and November.

Boeings Starliner crew capsule is expected to launch astronauts later this year, following a successful second orbital flight test. Starliner first launched in 2019, on an uncrewed flight to the space station but failed to reach the orbital outpost following a series of software anomalies. Its next test flight is scheduled for no earlier than March and if all goes well, then it will carry a crew of three astronauts to the space station later this year.

Having three different astronaut-toting capsules will provide NASA with the flexibility to routinely send astronauts to low-Earth orbit while also exploring the moon and eventually Mars.

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

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NASA will test-fire its 1st SLS megarocket for moon missions today. Here's how to watch. - Space.com

Tourism expected to bounce back in 2021

Like much of Central Florida, the economy in Brevard County relies heavily on tourism. Officials there are hoping as the coronavirus vaccine becomes widely distributed, thousands will return to Space Coast beaches, cruise ships and rocket launch events.

INDIALANTIC, Fla. - Dark clouds loomed over a usually sunnyFloridawhen the coronavirus pandemic hit the tourism industry. But this year, things are looking up, analysts say, especially for oneFloridacounty with an already busy schedule.

In Brevard County, the director of tourism says they lost approximately $500 million last year in visitor spending. Now, they're hoping to make up for the lost time.

"The Space Coast was literally the number one location for launches in 2020. We had the most launches in the world. We think that is going to continue into 2021," said Peter Cranis, the Space Coast Office of Tourism executive director.

MORE NEWS:Over 1 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in Florida

With a full calendar of launches scheduled, Cranis predicts Brevard could draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. He is also feeling confident about a significant return in cruising and visitors flying intoOrlando.

"A lot of people are hopping in their car and wanting a beach getaway, so we are benefiting from that. We are hoping by spring and summer that we will begin to see some of those visitors coming from a little farther north," Cranis said.

The Space Coast Office of Tourism is spending $2 million on a summer marketing campaign. Thats more than double what they spent in 2020.

TRENDING NOW:Walt Disney World says they will not sell new annual passes

"If you are coming to the beach for a vacation why not come to the space coast because it is very likely that at any given time you might see a launch. I mean, they are doing about a launch a week and so thats something that we will incorporate into our promotions very heavily," Cranis said.

The Space Coast will have some star power too. Actor Tom Cruise is expected to film one of his next movies at the International Space Station.

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest news.

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Space Coast tourism expected to bounce back in 2021 - FOX 35 Orlando

Boeing Co.s engineering failures didnt begin or end with the 737 MAX. Its once-dominant space program, which helped put Americans on the moon five decades ago, has also struggled.

The companys biggest space initiatives have been dogged by faulty designs, software errors and chronic cost overruns. It has lost out on recent contracts with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to return science experiments and astronauts to the moon, amid low rankings on price and technical merit. Boeing needs revenues from its defense and space arm, which makes everything from military jets to satellites, as a safety net as it navigates through the MAX crisis and slowed demand for new commercial jets in the pandemic.

Its space ambitions will soon face a major test with another attempt to launch a capsule called the Starliner. In the first launch, just over a year ago without astronauts on board, a software error sent the Starliner into the wrong orbit, and then another threatened a catastrophic end to the mission. A successful launch, which could come as soon as March, would help restore the companys reputation for reliability and engineering prowess.

The problems pose a serious challenge for Chief Executive David Calhoun one year into his tenure as he charts a new course in the face of uncertainties wrought by the pandemic.

After making record profit of $10.5 billion in 2018, Boeing has since lost nearly half that amount as of Sept. 30, largely due to a sharp drop in commercial aircraft deliveries and MAX-related charges. Defense and space revenue of $19.5 billion in the first nine months of last year eclipsed its commercial units $11.4 billion in sales. Jefferies analysts estimate Boeing brought in more than $6 billion in space revenue for all of last year.

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Boeings Other Big Problem: Fixing Its Space Program - The Wall Street Journal

HELSINKI Chinese private rocket firm iSpace is planning an IPO while also making progress on technology for a reusable launch vehicle.

Beijing-based iSpace is planning to file an initial public offering on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market), a market established in 2019 to support tech companies.

STAR Market announced the move Jan.12 (Chinese) naming CITIC Securities and Tianfeng Securities as advisory firms.

The STIB was created to focus on companies in high-tech and strategic emerging sectors and support Chinese science and technology innovation, according to Xinhua.

Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd., also known as iSpace, became the first nominally private Chinese company to launch a satellite into orbit in July 2019.

The companys Hyperbola-1 four-stage 20.8-meter-tall solid rocket sent two satellites into low Earth orbit after liftoff from Jiuquan, a national launch center.

Last year the company raised $173 million in series B round funding to back development of a new series of launch vehicles and reusable methalox engines.

iSpace is currently developing a 28-meter-tall, 3.35-meter-diameter liquid oxygen-methane launcher named Hyperbola-2.

Hyperbola-2 will be capable of delivering over 1,100 kilograms of payload into a 500-kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit, or 800 kilograms when the first stage is to be recovered and reused. The launchers 15-ton thrust JD-1 engine completed a 200-second hot fire test last May.

Chinese NewSpace rivals Landspace ( $175 million) and Galactic Energy ($29.9 million) also secured funding in 2020 as launch companies continue to attract interest and investment.

A 2014 central government policy shift opened the Chinese launch and small satellite sectors to private capital. Since then around 20 launch vehicle-related firms have been established in China.

These commercial launch companies are being supported by a national strategy of civil-military fusion. This includes facilitating the transfer of restricted technologies to approved firms in order to promote innovation in dual-use technology. The State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) oversees activities.

Provincial and local governments are also providing support for space companies as they look to attract high-end and emerging technology firms.

Last week iSpace also announced progress in developing the reusable first stage of its Hyperbola-2 liquid methane-liquid oxygen propellant launch vehicle.

The firm carried out tests of struts for landing legs of the first stage, including structural, dynamic and vibration tests, as well as performance in high and low temperatures.

The components are designed to help absorb the impact of landing following powered descent. iSpace tested telescopic deployment arms for the landing legs in November (Chinese).

iSpace is planning to conduct hop tests, similar to those of the SpaceX Grasshopper tech demonstrator, in 2021, starting at the level of meters, followed by one-kilometer and 100-kilometer-altitude vertical launch and landing tests.

Landspace, Galactic Energy and Deep Blue Aerospace are also developing reusable liquid-propellant launchers. Landspaces methalox Zhuque-2 is expected to make a first, expendable launch this year, before being converted for reusability.

Galactic Energy and Deep Blue Aerospace, established after early starters Landspace and iSpace, are developing their respective Pallas-1 and Nebula-2 kerosene-liquid oxygen launch vehicles.

The companies are expected to compete for domestic commercial launch contracts, as well as potential international customers. They also face competition from China Rocket Co. Ltd, Expace and CAS Space, all spinoffs from giant state-owned entities. A recent call for space station cargo proposals from Chinas human spaceflight agency however suggests that involvement in civil space projects is a possibility in the future.

Chinas state-owned main space contractor, CASC, is also looking into reusability. It is expected to convert the Long March 8, which had an expendable test launch in December, for vertical takeoff, vertical landing by 2025.

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China's iSpace advances with IPO plans, reusable launcher landing leg tests - SpaceNews

AN OVERTON woman has told of her 'X-Files' experience after spotting a mysterious object in the sky in December.

Wendy Lunt was engaged in a spot of stargazing on the evening of December 28, taking pictures of the night sky and sending to family when she spotted something unusual in one of the images.

One of the images Wendy says contained what looks like a 'man-made' object, but it had disappeared before she had a chance to take a second picture.

While not going quite as far to suggest the object was something from another world, she has posed the question of what the mystery was.

"I took the picture on my iPad, I was just messing around and I'd been asked by my grandkids to take some photos of the sky," said Wendy.

"I wasn't even looking for everything, just took my camera out.

"Everyone's got a few suggestions. It's not a star and as you can see it's too bright to be a star.

"We 'ummed and ahhed' whether it was the [International] Space Station (ISS) but that goes too fast. I didn't see it again so whether it moved I don't know.

"I think when we see [the ISS] it's smaller than that and they say its goes quite quick.

"It's a really definite shape, it looks man made, not a star or a meteorite. It is a very long way away.

"We live in Cloy Lane near Overton, so we get clear skies, no light pollution. There wasn't much else out, there's a lot of background stars.

"I've asked people what they think it is so I'm putting the question out there, what do people think it is?

"I'm not sure it's just the shape of it.

"Is it a piece of space rubbish I'm just putting the question out to find out.

"It would be nice for people to wonder what it is."

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A space station? Space junk? Or something more 'extraterrestrial'. Unidentified flying object leaves Overton woman asking questions - Whitchurch...

A wine that took a ride on the space station on board on the Northrop Grumman supply ship in November 2019. The 320 merlot and vine snippets were launched by space X in the march through canes in the grape growing business.

French wine to return from space after the long awaited 12 months. This has excited most experts in tasting some 12 bottles to be washed down in the Gulf of Mexico through a space dragon capsule. This came after 12 wine bottles were sent into space to orbit the world in the name of science. Not just limited to wines but vines and other pounds of gear research, including mice to land in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa via space dragon capsule. The bottles of French wine were properly secured and corked into a steel cylinder to prevent breaking on the aboard orbiting lab.

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The great of the wine testing will only be done until the end of February. A bottle or two will be opened for tasting by top Frances connoisseurs, the space cargo unlimited, the organization behind the experiment will later conduct some chemical testing. With scientists waiting anxiously to taste and see how space altered all the sedimentation and bubbles. Company CEO and co-founder Nicolas Gaume said it being just an agricultural science who admits it being fun when it comes to sample the wine.

Gaume also stated of it being a solution towards the feeding of humanity through agriculture not limited to earth but space having the key for a better tomorrow. Due to rapid climate changes on the continent, grapes have and will need to adapt to tough conditions as times goes by. With expectations of future exploring of the moon and mars, to enjoy earths pleasures. Being French is about having the best food and good wines, Nicolas said in a press statement.

Mr. Nicolas did disclose that some private investors helped in funding the project but refuses to state the initial project cost.

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Source: The Guardian

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Bordeaux-ver the moon: French wine to return from the space station - News Landed