NASA successfully carried out a key static test of its troubled Space Launch System rocket on Thursday, a win for the agency as it prepares to return to the Moon. The second “hot fire” test saw all four of the rocket’s RS-25 engines fire simultaneously at 4:40 pm Eastern time (2040 GMT) for the full duration of eight minutes, producing a maximum of 1.6 million pounds of thrust (7.1 million newtons). “The applause says a lot about how the team feels,” Bill Wrobel, an official in charge of the test, said during a livestream after the control room began clapping. “Looks pretty good right now,” he added.