The test series was undertaken for purpose of ensuring the new engine maintains the standards of robustness and reliability established by its predecessor. Aerojet Rocketdyne president and CEO Eileen P. Drake stated: "With the completion of this 12-test campaign, we have cleared a major milestone in our RS-25 production restart programme. The test series went very smoothly, raising our level of confidence that the new hardware designs and manufacturing processes will yield highly producible, reliable engines."
The SLS core stage is powered by four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 liquid-fuel cryogenic rocket engines, known also as Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) each producing some 418,000 lbf thrust at liftoff. The next three SLS flights, after the fashion of Artemis I, will be liberated from Earth's surly bonds by legacy Space Shuttle Main Engines upgraded with modern flight controllers. However, subsequent launches, starting with NASA's planned 2029 Artemis V mission, will be borne moonward by quartets of Aerojet Rocketdyne's newly certified RS-25E engine.
This story is from the July 2023 edition of Future Flight.
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This story is from the July 2023 edition of Future Flight.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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