Space Shuttle Main Engines

E33426
cryogenic rocket engine liquid-fuel rocket engine reusable rocket engine rocket engine family

The Space Shuttle Main Engines were highly efficient, reusable liquid-fuel rocket engines that powered NASA’s Space Shuttle orbiters during launch and ascent into space.

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Observed surface forms (4)

Surface form Occurrences
Space Shuttle Main Engine 3
RS-25 2
RS-25 engine 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf cryogenic rocket engine ⓘ
liquid-fuel rocket engine ⓘ
reusable rocket engine ⓘ
rocket engine family ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
surface form: RS-25

Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
surface form: SSME
chamberPressure about 207 bar ⓘ
controlSystem digital engine controller ⓘ
coolingMethod regenerative cooling ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
cycleType staged combustion cycle ⓘ
derivativeDesignation RS-25D ⓘ
RS-25D ⓘ
surface form: RS-25E
designAgency Marshall Space Flight Center ⓘ
surface form: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
developmentStart 1970s ⓘ
firstFlight STS-1 ⓘ
firstFlightDate 1981-04-12 ⓘ
fuelPumpType high-speed turbopumps ⓘ
gimbalCapability thrust vector control for vehicle steering ⓘ
heritageProgram Space Launch System ⓘ
lastShuttleFlight STS-135 ⓘ
lastShuttleFlightDate 2011-07-08 ⓘ
manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne ⓘ
surface form: Rocketdyne
mountingLocation aft fuselage of the Space Shuttle orbiter ⓘ
notableCharacteristic among the most efficient chemical rocket engines ever flown ⓘ
throttleable during ascent ⓘ
numberOfEnginesPerOrbiter 3 ⓘ
operator NASA ⓘ
oxidizerToFuelMixtureRatio approximately 6:1 ⓘ
primaryRole main propulsion during launch and ascent ⓘ
propellantType liquid hydrogen ⓘ
liquid oxygen ⓘ
reusability designed for multiple flights ⓘ
safetyFeature redundant control systems ⓘ
specificImpulseAtSeaLevel about 366 seconds ⓘ
specificImpulseInVacuum about 452 seconds ⓘ
statusAfterShuttleRetirement refurbished for Space Launch System core stage ⓘ
testFacility Stennis Space Center ⓘ
throttleRange approximately 67 percent to 109 percent of rated power level ⓘ
thrustAtSeaLevel about 1.8 meganewtons per engine ⓘ
thrustInVacuum about 2.1 meganewtons per engine ⓘ
usedForProgram NASA Space Shuttle program ⓘ
surface form: Space Shuttle program
usedOnVehicle Space Shuttle Atlantis ⓘ
Space Shuttle Challenger ⓘ
Space Shuttle Columbia ⓘ
Space Shuttle Discovery ⓘ
Space Shuttle Endeavour ⓘ
Space Shuttle orbiter ⓘ

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Space Shuttle Main Engines → alsoKnownAs → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: SSME
Space Shuttle Main Engines → alsoKnownAs → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: RS-25
Space Launch System → coreStageEngine → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: RS-25
SLS → coreStageEngineOrigin → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
subject surface form: Space Launch System
this entity surface form: Space Shuttle Main Engine
Space Shuttle orbiter → hasComponent → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
A-2 Test Stand → notableForTesting → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: Space Shuttle Main Engine
NASA Space Shuttle program → propulsion → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
Stennis Space Center → testedEngineType → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: Space Shuttle Main Engine
Stennis Space Center → testedEngineType → Space Shuttle Main Engines ⓘ
this entity surface form: RS-25 engine