L3Harris delivers RS-25 engines for Artemis III
L3Harris Technologies, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, USA, has delivered the four RS-25 engines that will power the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2027.
Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion & Power Systems, Missile Solutions, L3Harris, stated, “This is a major milestone in our effort to return astronauts to the lunar surface. This delivery keeps Artemis III on track for launch in 2027 and supports NASA’s transition to an annual launch cadence that will enable regular missions to the Moon.”
NASA awarded L3Harris a contract in 2015 to restart the design and production of the RS-25 engines for the SLS programme. The new engines incorporate modern manufacturing techniques, including Additive Manufacturing, to reduce production costs. According to the company, the new production engines are approximately 30% less expensive than the Space Shuttle Main Engines while maintaining the same levels of reliability and performance.
Artemis III is expected to be the third flight of the SLS and will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or more commercial lunar landers in low Earth orbit. The mission will also mark the first time technicians integrate the RS-25 engines with the SLS core stage in a vertical position, a change NASA expects will simplify and accelerate the installation process while improving access to each engine.
The four RS-25 engines assigned to Artemis III previously powered a combined 36 Space Shuttle missions, including flights supporting assembly of the International Space Station and the STS-95 mission, which returned former Mercury astronaut and US Senator John Glenn to space.
L3Harris upgraded the engines for the first four Artemis missions with modern electronics and enhanced insulation designed to withstand the SLS’s thermal environment. The engines will operate at higher thrust levels than they did during the Space Shuttle programme.
Future Artemis missions will use newly manufactured RS-25 engines incorporating Additive Manufacturing and other production enhancements intended to reduce costs while maintaining performance and reliability.
