The Knowledge Base: The Impact of Harsh Environments on Residue Tolerance
Standard of Excellence: Hiring for Quality Positions in Manufacturing, Engineering, and Management
Global Citizenship: What I’ve Learned About the American PCB Business
RS-25 Engines are Ready for Artemis IV
July 9, 2024 | L3Harris TechnologiesEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, has completed modernizing the four flight-proven RS-25 engines that will help power NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on the Artemis IV mission. Artemis IV will be the first flight of the enhanced Block 1B configuration of the super-heavy-lift rocket and the last to use engines remaining in inventory from the space shuttle program.
Aerojet Rocketdyne has upgraded the Artemis IV engines with modern flight computers that will allow them to withstand the higher temperatures due to being located next to the SLS solid rocket motors. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne completed testing of the flight computers and former space shuttle main engines for the first four Artemis missions at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Artemis IV marks the debut of the upgraded SLS Block 1B rocket featuring the exploration upper stage powered by four Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines. The first three Artemis missions are using the SLS Block 1 configuration that uses the interim cryogenic propulsion stage powered by a single RL10.
“The SLS Block 1B upgrade is a game changer that will enable the most ambitious missions ever attempted,” said Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion and Power Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. “The new universal stage adapter above the exploration upper stage provides 24% more volume for a co-manifested payload than an industry-standard five-meter-class payload fairing.”
Crewed versions of the SLS Block 1B with the exploration upper stage will be capable of delivering 38 metric tons of payload to cislunar space in a single mission, versus 27 metric tons for the SLS Block 1. This means more than 10 metric tons of additional cargo can fly with every crewed mission. Cargo-only versions of the enhanced vehicle will be able to deliver 42 metric tons to cislunar space.
Beginning with Artemis V, the SLS deep space exploration rocket will use newly manufactured versions of the RS-25 engines that take advantage of production efficiencies and advances in manufacturing to reduce unit costs by more than 30% from the shuttle versions, while also flying at a higher thrust level.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Pricer Partners in the Eurostars-funded Project SELECT to Advance Sustainable Electronics
09/25/2024 | PricerPricer AB is pleased to announce its participation in the SELECT (Sustainable Electronics for Energy Harvesting Applications) project, which has received funding through the Eurostars program, the largest international funding program for SMEs collaborating on R&D projects.
Northrop Grumman Completes First BOLE Solid Rocket Motor Segment for NASA’s Space Launch System
03/06/2024 | Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation completed the first Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) motor segment for the next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket booster.
Early Production Continues on Advanced Upper Stage for NASA Moon Rocket
11/06/2023 | NASATechnicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have completed a major portion of a weld confidence article for the advanced upper stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
Scientists Design Promising New Cathode for Sodium-based Batteries
07/21/2017 | BNLScientists have designed a new type of cathode that could make the mass production of sodium batteries more feasible. Batteries based on plentiful and low-cost sodium are of great interest to both scientists and industry as they could facilitate a more cost-efficient production process for grid-scale energy storage systems, consumer electronics and electric vehicles.
Exploring Nanoscale Structure of Thin Films
08/04/2015 | Brookhaven National LaboratoryThe world’s newest and brightest synchrotron light source—the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—has produced one of the first publications resulting from work done during the facility's science commissioning phase.