Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2023 - 35

Application Briefs
RS-25 Rocket Engines
L3Harris Technologies
Melbourne, FL
585-465-3592
www.l3harris.com
A
erojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company,
recently completed installation of all four RS-25 main
engines on the core stage of NASA's second Space Launch
System (SLS) exploration rocket, binding them to a common
destiny: launching humans beyond low Earth orbit for
the first time in more than five decades.
Two of the RS-25 engines are upgraded Space Shuttle
Main Engines (SSMEs) that flew before; and two will make
their inaugural flight on the Artemis II mission. Slated to
launch in 2024, all four RS-25 engines will help send NASA's
Artemis II crew aboard the Orion spacecraft around the
Moon, marking the first time a woman and a person of color
has made this journey.
The RS-25 engines for the initial SLS rockets that will power
the early Artemis missions were upgraded with new controllers
and other features to enable deep space exploration. All four
Artemis II engines have at least one component that flew
aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-1, the first shuttle
mission. Engine 2047 flew on STS-135, the final shuttle mission,
while engine 2059 flew on STS-134, the program's penultimate
flight. Between them, engines 2047 and 2059 flew 20
space shuttle missions.
Engine numbers 2062 and 2063 are unique among the 16
engines from the shuttle inventory, as they have never flown in
space, although they do contain some components, such as
Quantum Sensing Atomic Gyroscope
Defense Innovation Unit
Washington D.C.
info@DIU.mil
www.DIU.mil
T
he Defense Science Board identified three areas of quantum
technology that will be most relevant to the Department of
Defense's (DoD) technological superiority: sensing, encryption,
and communications. Of these, quantum sensing is the
most mature and promising for use in military technologies
reliant on accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT).
PNT is critical to the function of key capabilities such as imaging,
earth observation, and communication.
Recognizing these imperatives, Defense Innovation Unit
(DIU) - in collaboration with the Office of the Undersecretary
of Defense for Research & Engineering's Quantum directorate,
kicked-off a quantum sensing initiative in late 2020. The program
focuses on moving atomic sensors out of the lab and to the real
world. Today, the program is bearing fruit with delivery of a quantum
sensor that can meet the rigors of space.
Aerospace & Defense Technology, December 2023
high- and low-pressure pumps and valves that have. Aerojet
Rocketdyne assembled both engines using main components
that were built for the shuttle program but never had the chance
to fly, including the nozzles and main combustion chambers.
Starting with its fifth mission, the SLS will use brand new
RS-25 engines that will cost 30 percent less than the engines
produced for the shuttle program. Major components for these
engines are already being built by Aerojet Rocketdyne using the
latest manufacturing technologies and processes to achieve the
targeted cost savings. Once produced, all RS-25 engines will be
tested at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi,
prior to launch on an SLS flight.
www.l3harris.com
For this project, DIU awarded a contract to Vector Atomic, a
5-year old California start-up focused on fielding and commercializing
atomic instruments. Recently, Vector Atomic, in partnership
with Honeywell Aerospace, delivered a fully integrated,
high-performance atomic gyroscope. This is the first atomic
mobilityengineeringtech.com
35
http://www.l3harris.com http://www.l3harris.com http://www.DIU.mil http://mobilityengineeringtech.com
Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2023

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