The forward cone for a test version of the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) - part of NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System - is lifted out of a weld tool following completion of eight vertical welds on the hardware at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

The forward and aft rings also have been completed for the structural test article. The LVSA will connect two major sections - the core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) - of the SLS.

The LVSA structural test article will be stacked with other prototypes of the upper part of the rocket and tested in early 2016 at Marshall to verify the integrity of the hardware and ensure it can withstand the loads it may experience during flight.

Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville is the prime contractor on the LVSA work. Watch a video on the latest progress.

Earlier Report
On Nov. 4 the first RS-25 flight engine, engine No. 2059, was placed on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center. The engine will be tested in the first part of 2016 to certify it for use on NASA's new Space Launch System (SLS).

The SLS vehicle is being developed in two versions to return humans to deep space. The "Block 1" version of the SLS vehicle is set to fly its first uncrewed mission in 2018.

The "Block 2" heavy-lift version will be ready for flight later and will be the largest, most powerful rocket ever built, capable of carrying humans on missions to Mars.

The core stage of both SLS configurations will be powered by four RS-25 engines, all tested at Stennis Space Center. The core stage for the 2018 SLS flight - Exploration Mission-1 - also will be tested at Stennis.

Testing will involve installing the flight stage on the B-2 Test Stand and firing its four RS-25 engines simultaneously, just as during an actual launch.

The SLS Program has an inventory of 16 RS-25 flight engines, built by Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California.

The engines are available for the first four SLS missions, and two development engines are available for ground tests.

These engines are being adapted to SLS performance requirements, including improvements like nozzle insulation and a new electronic controller.