Aerojet Rocketdyne has conducted a hot-fire test of an engine technology the company built for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The company said Tuesday it performed the RS-25 engine test at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and assessed the performance of the main combustion chamber during the 319-second engine fire test attended by NASA Administrator […] More

NASA has released a request for qualifications for a program to design and build the second mobile launcher platform for the Space Launch System. A FedBizOpps notice posted June 29 says the proposed Mobile Launcher 2 is a mobile structure designed to support the launch of the SLS Block 1B rocket and future configurations of […] More

Dynetics and its industry partners have cleared a preliminary design review of a Universal Stage Adapter that will work to support cargo transportation aboard NASA‘s Space Launch System rocket. The USA will be used to carry cargo during the first crewed flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft, dubbed Exploration Mission-2, which is scheduled for launch by […] More

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have tested the fourth and last engine controller for the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket, called Exploration Mission-2. Aerojet Rocketdyne said Thursday its RS-25 engine was test fired for 365 seconds to qualify the engine controller, which works to facilitate communications between the engine and SLS as […] More

NASA has collaborated with Media Fusion to produce a virtual reality software platform that will allow users to experience the scale of the Space Launch System. The software is designed to run on Oculus Rift VR headsets and simulate the SLS rocket’s Exploration Mission-1 flight from a launch pad located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the agency said Saturday. Anyone […] More

NASA has performed a certification test on a flight controller for a future Space Launch System deep space rocket as part of a series of tests on components built using advanced manufacturing approaches. The space agency said Wednesday the flight controller was integrated on the RS-25 developmental engine for a 365-second full-duration test held at the […] More

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have completed the final hot-fire test of an engine technology the company developed for use on the Space Launch System rocket. The eighth RS-25 engine test this year occurred at NASA’s Stennis Space in Mississippi and evaluated the performance of an engine component produced using a three-dimensional printing method, the space agency said Wednesday. The 3D-printed pogo […] More

NASA has concluded a comprehensive review of the potential launch schedule for an integrated flight test of Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. The space agency said Thursday it assessed the impact of manufacturing and supply challenges on Orion’s first European service module as well as tornado damage that affected the space agency’s New Orleans-based Michoud […] More

Orbital ATK has finished a qualification test on the avionics system of solid rocket boosters that the company is producing for NASA‘s Space Launch System. The test series validated the avionics system’s performance in expected and abnormal conditions as well as the platform’s capacity to start booster ignition, control the booster during flight and terminate the flight, […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has tested a third RS-25 engine flight controller the company developed to support the launch of a future NASA heavy-lift rocket. The RS-25 flight controller is designed to monitor the health of a rocket engine using real-time adjustments to combustion pressures, turbopump speeds and other configurations such as engine thrust and propellant mixture […] More

NASA has awarded three teams slots to launch their small satellites aboard the first integrated flight of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft dubbed Exploration Mission-1. Winners of the Cube Quest Challenge include Cislunar Explorers from Cornell University, CU-E3 from the University of Colorado and Team Miles from Tampa, Florida-based company Fluid & Reason, NASA said Friday. […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has tested a second flight engine controller for its RS-25 rocket engine at NASA‘s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. NASA will use the Aerojet Rocketdyne-made engine technology to power the Space Launch System as part of a planned unmanned space mission, the company said Tuesday. Eileen Drake, president and CEO of Aerojet Rocketdyne, said the RS-25 development and flight engines logged more than 6,800 […] More