The Rocket Engines Carrying Us to Space. The SLS RS-25 (aka The Space Shuttle Main Engine)
There are few rockets more iconic than the RS-25, also known as the Space Shuttle main engine. Even though it’s been around in some form since the 1970s, it’s been improved and upgraded several times, making it the most efficient liquid fuel rocket engine going today.
And now the RS-25 is going to see a new chapter in its history, working to carry NASA’s new Space Launch System back to deep space, beyond Earth orbit.
The Rocket Engines Carrying Us to Space. The SLS RS-25 (aka The Space Shuttle Main Engine) (YouTube)
Comments (2)
I find it really interesting how we have $500-1000 million launches and $90 million launches in the same industry now. If NASA want's to extend it's budget it can always sub-contract out with the private players now if it doesn't need the bigger launch capacity for a particular mission. Do you think within the next 20 years the private industry will soon have enough single-launch capacity to make the more expensive in-house solutions that NASA develops redundant? (Not NASA itself of course, just it's launch platforms.)
NASA is already SpaceX's biggest customer, so I'm sure we're going to see more and more projects moving over to SpaceX as they continue to demonstrate their capabilities.