Stennis engineer reflects on Artemis II launch after years of engine testing

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — The RS-25 engines that powered Artemis II’s trip around the moon were tested at the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, where engineer Bradley Tyree spent years preparing them for flight.

Tyree, of Picayune, was part of the team that tested the engines. He got to watch the Artemis II launch from Cape Canaveral.

“It’s very special just to be a part of the team that is very passionate about the work that we do,” Tyree said. “Everybody is very determined and focused on the task.”

Tyree said his role was to help shepherd people, to make sure they knew what was going on, and to talk about Artemis, getting people excited about the launch.

Tyree was among the thousands of people who were on a three-mile stretch of the Banana River bank for the launch. It was also his first time witnessing a rocket launch.

“We were tuned into the Mission Control Center’s live feed, and we were listening to some of the operators and engineers discuss,” Tyree said. “You could tell that they had experienced a couple issues, but they were troubleshooting those issues with a determination to launch.”

Tyree said he was absorbing both the technical aspects of the launch and the excitement of the crowd around him.

“To see people from all walks of life, all united for this one goal. It was, it was very exciting,” Tyree said.

He said the crowd fell silent during the T-minus 10-minute hold. After the countdown, the boosters and RS-25s ignited, and the rocket left the ground.

“And then all of a sudden, it was like a crescendo of cheering that erupted,” Tyree said. “It was just a great experience. High fives and hugs all around.”

The launch site was about eight miles from where Tyree watched. He said it took a minute or two for the sound to reach the crowd.

“You can feel it in your chest,” Tyree said. “It’s loud. It’s amazing.”

The team received data immediately after launch and started making improvements. They look at instrumentation data to see if areas of the engine ran hotter or cooler than expected.

“What can we do to maybe improve that so that we extend the life as much as we can for these very reliable engines?” Tyree said.

The team at Stennis is now focused on Artemis III, work that Tyree especially enjoys, with the control room full of people processing data and carrying out operations.

“It doesn’t feel like work at all,” Tyree said.

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