One of the goals of SLS was to reuse remaining hardware from NASA’s Shuttle program where possible. This was intended to be a cost-saving measure, but given the high price of a single SLS stack costs more than two billion dollars: The SLS rocket for Artemis II (and each Artemis mission) costs approximately $4.1 billion per launch per the NASA OIG, with about half of that being tied up in the rocket and capsule. That’s a lot of money.
Still, there a lot of previously flown pieces of hardware on America’s newest moon rocket.
RS-25 Core Stage Engines
| Engine | Flights | Space Shuttle Missions | Est. Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| RS-25 E2047 | 15 | STS-91 (1998), STS-96, STS-98 (Destiny Lab), STS-99, STS-106, STS-104, STS-109, STS-112, STS-115, STS-118, STS-123, STS-126, STS-128, STS-132, STS-135 (final shuttle) | ~$70MOriginal build cost |
| RS-25 E2059 | 5 | STS-117, STS-122, STS-125 (Hubble servicing), STS-130, STS-134 (final Endeavour) | ~$70MOriginal build cost |
| RS-25 E2061 Replaced E2063 in April 2025 | 2 | STS-130 (Tranquility node), STS-134 (final Endeavour, AMS-02) | ~$70MOriginal build cost |
| RS-25 E2062 First Spaceflight | 0* | Never flown as complete engine; contains heritage components including parts from STS-1 (first shuttle) | ~$70MOriginal build cost |
Note: New RS-25 production costs ~$100–146M per engine. Shuttle-era engines required ~$72M each in adaptation costs for SLS.
Orion Main Engine (OMS-E)
| Engine | Flights | Space Shuttle Missions | Est. Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| OMS Engine AJ10-190 from Atlantis | 6 | STS-101 (first glass cockpit), STS-98 (Destiny Lab), STS-104 (Quest Airlock), STS-108, STS-109, STS-110 All missions 2000–2002; stored 20+ years before Artemis | ~$2–5MRefurbished at White Sands |
Solid Rocket Booster Steel Casings
Right Booster: 64 shuttle flights + 9 static tests + 1 new component
Combined heritage: 84 different Space Shuttle missions represented
Left Booster (Artemis II-A)
| Component | Part # | Shuttle/Test History |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Dome | 55 | STS-111, 120, STS-131, QM-2 |
| Cylinder | 89 | TEM-9, STS-73, 94, 100, 115, STS-127, QM-1 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 43 | STS-111, 120, DM-2, QM-1 |
| Cylinder | 104 | TEM-6, STS-51, 69, 94, 101, 124, FSM-1, FVM-1 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 64 | STS-110, 120, FSM-17, QM-1 |
| Cylinder | 37 | STS-8, 48, TEM-11 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 92 | STS-52, 68, 85, 106, STS-131, TEM-13 |
| Cylinder | 31 | STS-41C, 75, 88, 110, 122, STS-132, TEM-7 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 88 | STS-37, 53, 70, 86, 92, STS-114, 126, DM-2 |
| Stiffener | 77NEW | New component |
| Stiffener | 104 | STS-66, 82, 103, STS-134, FVM-2 |
| Attach | 60 | STS-126, QM-1 |
| Aft Dome | 42 | STS-26 (Return to Flight), 32, 48, 57, 71, 83, 101, STS-130, TEM-13 |
| Frustum | 16 | STS-25, 35, 50, 51, 66, 75, 85, 101, 110, 119 |
| Forward Skirt | 16 | STS-23, 30, 31, 38, 42, 54, 62, 69, 81, 89, 99, 105, 120, 129 (14 flights) |
| Aft Skirt | 21 | STS-25, 39, 52, 59, 72, 83, 95, 108, STS-132 |
Right Booster (Artemis II-A)
| Component | Part # | Shuttle/Test History |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Dome | 56 | STS-113 |
| Cylinder | 86 | STS-5 (1982, earliest), STS-7, TEM-10, FSM-17 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 46 | FSM-11, STS-113, 119 |
| Cylinder | 82 | STS-26 (Return to Flight), 27, 38, 52, 68, 85, STS-98 (Destiny Lab), QM-1 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 89 | STS-110, 120, FSM-17, QM-1 |
| Cylinder | 33 | STS-8, 48, TEM-11 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 72 | STS-52, 68, 85, 106, STS-131, TEM-13 |
| Cylinder | 61 | STS-41C, 75, 88, 110, 122, STS-132, TEM-7 |
| Capture Feature Cyl | 56 | STS-37, 53, 70, 86, 92, STS-114, 126, DM-2 |
| Stiffener | 78NEW | New component |
| Stiffener | 36 | STS-66, 82, 103, STS-134 (final Endeavour), FVM-2 |
| Attach | 53 | STS-126, QM-1 |
| Aft Dome | 45 | STS-26 (Return to Flight), 32, 48, 57, 71, 83, 101, STS-130, TEM-13 |
| Frustum | 22 | STS-27, 34, 48, 52, 61, 67, 80, 95, 102, STS-107 (Columbia), 116, 128 |
| Forward Skirt | 19 | STS-27, 30, 35, STS-49 (first Endeavour), 51, 67, 76, 93, 94, 100, 107, 116, 124, 131 (14 flights) |
| Aft Skirt | 29 | STS-27, 32, 44, 51, 71, 82, 93, 108, STS-127 |
Est. Value: ~$50–80M per booster set for heritage casings vs. ~$290M each for new production. Propellant newly cast in 2019.
Notable heritage: Cylinder 86 flew on STS-5 (1982) – the earliest flown component. Both forward skirts flew 14 missions each, including STS-49 (first Endeavour) and STS-130 (last shuttle night launch). Components from both the first and last flights of Endeavour support Artemis II.
Sources
- NASA: Artemis II SLS Reference Guide (October 2025)
- NASA: First RS-25 Engine Installed to Artemis II
- L3Harris: RS-25 Engines with Different Histories
- SpaceNews: Aerojet Rocketdyne defends SLS engine contract costs
- ESA Orion Blog: The Artemis II Engine with a Legacy
Data compiled January 2026 | Talk of Titusville