NASA, along with teams from Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne, completed integration of RS-25 engines with the core stage of the agency’s Space Launch System ahead of the Artemis I mission to the moon.
The agency said Saturday that it connected all four engines with the SLS core stage at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Boeing serves as the prime contractor for the core stage, while Aerojet Rocketdyne is the lead contractor for the RS-25 engines.
The teams connected the first RS-25 engine to the rocket’s core stage in May and are slated to begin integration activities for propulsion and electrical systems. A functional test of avionics, computers and electrical systems will then commence ahead of the rocket’s expected completion by the year’s end.