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Propulsion & Power

NASA begins installing Artemis III RS-25 engines

By SpaceEnergy 01 September 2026 1 min read
NASA begins installing Artemis III RS-25 engines
Credit: NASA/Clayton Rougelot.

(SpaceEnergy) NASA has begun installing four RS-25 liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen engines into the Space Launch System core stage for the Artemis III mission planned for 2027.

Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida began the installation work on 24 August, NASA said on 1 September. The four engines — E2054, E2057, E2048 and E2052 — are assigned to the Artemis III Space Launch System core stage.

All four engines previously flew on multiple space shuttle missions. Engine E2048, for example, powered shuttle missions including STS-95 aboard Discovery and STS-129 aboard Atlantis.

The installation marks a further propulsion-integration milestone for Artemis III, which is intended to carry its crew into low Earth orbit in 2027.

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