June 26, 2015 M15-098

Media and social media followers are invited to watch as NASA tests an RS-25 engine like those that will power the rocket that launches astronauts on missions to an asteroid and to Mars. The test will take place Thursday, August 13, at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Four RS-25 engines will power the core stage of NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS), the rocket that will launch the agency's Orion crew capsule on deep space missions. The RS-25 engine is a modified space shuttle main engine, which powered missions into low-Earth orbit for 30 years. Remaining space shuttle main engines are being upgraded to provide the additional thrust needed for the SLS vehicle.
The test will verify that the RS-25 developmental engine is performing as needed. Engineers especially are focused on verifying the performance of the new RS-25 engine controller component, or "brain." The controller monitors and regulates engine performance during an engine firing. Testing of RS-25 engines that will be used for flight is expected to begin this fall at Stennis.