SLS: Nasa's 'megarocket' engine test ends early

A critical engine test for Nasa's new "megarocket" - the Space Launch System (SLS) - has ended early.

Shortly before 22:30 GMT (17:30 EST), the four engines ignited with a flash, burning for more than a minute before the test was aborted.

The core stage of the SLS was being tested at Stennis Space Center, near Bay St Louis, Mississippi.

The engines were supposed to fire for eight minutes to simulate the rocket's climb to orbit.

The SLS is part of Nasa's Artemis programme, which aims to put Americans back on the lunar surface in the 2020s.

When it makes its maiden flight later this year, the SLS will become the most powerful rocket ever to have flown to space.

Reacting to the early shut down, Nasa engineer Alex Cagnola said: "Obviously, we had a very successful initiation of the engines, the beginning of our thrust profile when we were firing for the first minute or so, we were getting some really good data coming through.

"We have certain boundaries that we need to keep the operations under... the test team was seeing some data that they might not like, so obviously our engines were shut down ahead of the eight-minute scheduled time-frame."