At NASA's Stennis Center, test teams revamp rocket engines for new era of space pursuits

NASA is putting all hands on deck as it attempts to enhance its rocket engines ahead of a new epoch of space missions. At the space agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, a string of hot fire certification tests are underway for a revamped RS-25 engine that would, in turn, support the production of better engines for future Space Launch System (SLS) flights.

The RS-25 engine was originally built to be used in a space shuttle, but its stellar performance and high reliability makes it ideal to power the SLS. “The RS-25 remains one of the most efficient, powerful, tested, and flight-proven first-stage engines in the world. When we made the decision to restart engine production, our main goal for the transition from the space shuttle to SLS was to make it at least 30% more affordable while increasing operational thrust from 109% to 111%," said Johnny Heflin, SLS liquid engines manager.

"We needed to re-engineer the RS-25 for Artemis missions while retaining the basic design and performance," Heflin added, according to NASA's official website. NASA's fifth Artemis mission will star newly produced RS-25 engines, courtesy of Aerojet Rocketdyne. The new round of engines will be made with new materials and by better processes.

Why test firing of the RS-25 is essential? 

“The RS-25 has an incredible history of success, but it’s important to test fire the re-engineered hardware to validate new designs, manufacturing lines, processes, and materials when they all come together in an engine,” said Chip Ellis, R-25 project manager at Stennis.

But before the engines make it to space, they must undergo a string of hot fire tests that would certify if they are designed for flight. Shedding light on the testing process, Aerojet Rocketdyne's RS-25 program director Doug Bradley said: “This certification test series is the culmination of years of hard work by hundreds of people across Aerojet Rocketdyne, NASA and our suppliers. This certification program has had teams across the nation restart production lines, inaugurate new suppliers, and prove out new manufacturing techniques that reduce both the cost and cycle time for manufacturing each engine."