NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have agreed to resume production of the RS-25 engine for use on the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS). Image Credit: NASA
On Monday, Nov. 23, NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne (Rocketdyne) announced a $1.16 billion contract for Rocketdyne to resume production of the RS-25 engines that helped power the Shuttle to orbit for 30 years. The engines will now be used to power the agency’s new super heavy-lift vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS), and it’s Orion capsule, to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
On Shuttle, three RS-25’s, which were reconditioned and reused, were attached to the aft end of the orbiter. For SLS, four RS-25’s will be required for each flight, and the engines will not be recovered and reused.
NASA has 16 flight-ready RS-25’s in storage at its John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) in south Mississippi. These engines will be used on the first four SLS flights. However, for subsequent flights, additional engines will be required.
SLS RS-25 flight engine mission assignments. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
According to NASA, the new contract runs from November of this year through September of 2024, and only “restarts [Rocketdyne’s] production capability including furnishing the necessary management, labor, facilities, tools, equipment and materials required for this effort, implementing modern fabrication processes and affordability improvements, and producing hardware required for development and certification testing.” However, the contract does allow for a future modification which would enable NASA to actually order six new flight engines.
SpaceFlight Insider speaks with Rocketdyne’s Jim Paulsen on Aug. 13. Photo Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
Jim Paulsen, vice president, Program Execution, Advanced Space and Launch Programs at Rocketdyne, explained that the “RS-25 engines designed under this new contract will be expendable with significant affordability improvements over previous versions. This is due to the incorporation of new technologies, such as the introduction of simplified designs; 3-D printing technology called additive manufacturing; and streamlined manufacturing in a modern, state-of-the-art fabrication facility.”
The first SLS launch, Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), an uncrewed test flight around the Moon, is scheduled for 2018. The first crewed flight, Exploration Mission 2 (EM-2), is schduled for no later than 2023, and NASA intends to fly SLS once a year thereafter, budget permitting.
Click here to view Rocketdyne’s video news release regarding new RS-25 production.
Video courtesy of NASA / Aerojet Rocketdyne
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