Aerojet Rocketdyne technicians inspect the new controller on the RS-25 development engine. Photo: Aerojet Rocketdyne.

NASA successfully tested an RS-25 rocket engine with a new flight-model engine controller and flight configuration software was successfully tested for the first time at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Four RS-25 engines, manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne, will help propel NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the agency’s next generation heavy-lift launch vehicle, and the controller unit is a key component for the rocket’s safety and reliability.

For this most recent test, the new controller was installed on a development engine that is used to test new components. Once performance data is checked out, NASA will install it on one of the four flight engines that will help power the first launch of SLS.

According to Aerojet Rockedyne, the new controller has 20 times the processing capability of the controller used on the Space Shuttle and offers increased reliability while providing a weight reduction of 50 pounds to each engine.