RS-68A completes final test

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. - The world’s most powerful hydrogen-fueled rocket engine built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the RS-68A, completed its final hot-fire acceptance test for use on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle on the B-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center (SSC). ULA’s Delta IV Heavy rocket uses three Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68A engines; one on each of its three common booster cores to launch the spacecraft into orbit. The three RS-68A engines combine to generate more than two million pounds of thrust for the Delta IV Heavy. The original variant of the engine, the RS-68, was first tested at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.; testing moved to SSC in 2000. The RS-68 powered Delta IV made its inaugural flight in 2002. The upgraded RS-68A completed its first test firing in September 2008, was certified in April 2011 and made its inaugural flight in June 2012. (Source: multiple, including Intelligent Aerospace, 04/14/21, Spaceref, 04/12/21) Related