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NASA and Northrop Grumman will perform a full-scale static test of a Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket booster motor at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory, Utah, test facility July 21. Engineers will fire the booster during the demonstration, called the Flight Support Booster 2 test, to evaluate materials and processes to improve boosters for future Artemis missions.
Teams installed the flight support booster into a test stand in Promontory, Utah. NASA and Northrop Grumman engineers are preparing to conduct a full-scale static test of the motor at the Northrop Grumman test facility July 21.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
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The test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, marked the eighth in a 12-test certification series that will support production of RS-25 engines by lead engine contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne for future Artemis missions, beginning with Artemis V. Engineers fired the RS-25 engine for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time it must operate to help send astronauts in the Orion spacecraft to space. The engine operated up to the 113% power level during the test, beyond the required 111% needed to get SLS to orbit. The increased power provides engineers with a margin of operational safety during testing.
Four RS-25 engines fire simultaneously to generate a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 million pounds of thrust during ascent to help power each SLS flight. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and collaborate with commercial and international partners to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon. The agency will use what it learns on and around the Moon to then send the first astronauts to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA
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This week in 2015, NASA engineers successfully conducted the first hot fire test of the RS-25 engine and engine controller unit on the A-1 test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. This was the first of eight tests for the development of the engine designed to provide NASA engineers with critical data on the engine controller unit and inlet pressure conditions. Today, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is playing a vital role in the Artemis program by developing the Space Launch System, the backbone of NASA’s exploration plans and the only rocket capable of sending humans to the Moon and Mars. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.
Image credit: NASA
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
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Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021.
Image Credit: NASA/Cory Huston
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams began walkdowns and inspections at the pad to assess the status of the rocket and spacecraft after the passage of Hurricane Nicole. NASA’s Artemis I flight test is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Nov. 16 at 1:04 a.m. EST.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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A single solid rocket booster motor fires up at Northrop Grumman’s test facility in Promontory, Utah, on July 21. The booster motor, positioned horizontally for the ground test, fired for a little over two minutes and produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust. The only way to conduct a ground test of the boosters without launching is in a horizontal test stand. The test aids in the development of future versions of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket. Based on the space shuttle solid rocket boosters, the SLS boosters are the largest, most powerful solid propellant boosters ever built for flight.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
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NASA completed stacking Oct. 21, 2021, of the agency's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I uncrewed mission around the Moon. The stacking operations were conducted inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image Credit: NASA
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NASA conducted its second RS-25 engine hot fire test of the new year Feb. 8 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The test was the third hot fire in the latest test series that began in mid-December. NASA is testing RS-25 engines to help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future deep-space missions. Four RS-25 engines will generate a combined 2 million pounds of thrust to power SLS’s ascent.
Image Credit: NASA
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The Flight Readiness Review for NASA’s Artemis I mission concluded August 22, and teams are proceeding toward a two-hour launch window that opens at 8:33 a.m. EDT Monday, August 29, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B in Florida.
Here, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher as it moves up the ramp at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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Engineers are making progress repairing the area where a liquid hydrogen leak was detected during the Artemis I launch attempt Sept. 3, and NASA is preserving options for the next launch opportunity as early as Friday, Sept. 23.
Here, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is seen at Launch Pad 39B Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as teams work to replace the seal on an interface, called the quick disconnect, between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line on the mobile launcher and the rocket.
Image credit: NASA/Chad Siwik
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NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully conduct a full-scale, static test of a five-segment booster motor for future flights of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket on July 21.
Image Credit: Northrop Grumman
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Stacking is complete for the twin Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket boosters for NASA's Artemis I mission. Over several weeks, workers used one of five massive cranes to place 10 booster segments and nose assemblies on the mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems placed the first segment on Nov. 21, 2020, and continued the process until the final nose assembly was placed on March 2. Prior to the arrival of the core stage, the team will finish installing electrical instrumentation and pyrotechnics, then test the systems on the boosters. When the SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy, technicians will transport it to the VAB, and then stack it on the mobile launcher between the two boosters. The SLS will be the most powerful rocket in the world, producing up to 8.8 million pounds of thrust during its Artemis I launch.
Artemis I will be an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.
Credit: NASA
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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is illuminated by spotlights atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as preparations for launch continued Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. SLS and Orion arrived at the launch pad on Friday, Nov. 4, after a nearly nine-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Artemis I is the first integrated test of our deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for Nov. 14 at 12:07 a.m. EST. See the full launch coverage schedule.
Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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A real finale! @NASA, @BoeingSpace, and @AerojetRdyne have completed the final test of the core stage Green Run test series for NASA's Space Launch System rocket at @NASAStennis. Today, propellant flowed through the tanks, all the flight computers and avionics systems operated, and the four RS-25 engines fired simultaneously. Next time this stage operates, the SLS rocket will be launching the agency's first #Artemis mission to the Moon. Check out our Instagram Stories for highlights from the day!
Credit: NASA
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Around 7:30 a.m. EDT the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission arrived atop Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a nearly 10-hour journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building.
In the coming days, engineers and technicians will configure systems at the pad for launch, which is currently targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29 at 8:33 a.m. (two hour launch window). Teams have worked to refine operations and procedures and have incorporated lessons learned from the wet dress rehearsal test campaign and have updated the launch timeline accordingly.
In this image, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA's Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency's deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs integrate the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) atop the massive SLS core stage in the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 5, 2021.
Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA's Artemis I Moon rocket - carried atop the crawler-transporter 2 - approaches Launch Pad 39B at the agency's Kennedy Space Center on June 6. The rocket rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building in the early morning hours to travel 4.2 miles in eight hours to the launch pad for NASA's next wet dress rehearsal attempt ahead of the Artemis I launch. Teams are working to secure the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and mobile launcher to ground support equipment at the launch pad and ensure that the rocket is in a safe configuration for the upcoming tanking test. Prior to rollout, teams successfully completed all major planned objectives identified during the previous wet dress rehearsal attempts, as well as some forward work previously planned for after the tanking test.
Image Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
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Final stacking operations for NASA's mega-Moon rocket are underway inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as the Orion spacecraft is lifted onto the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis I mission.
Next, teams will slowly lower it onto the fully stacked SLS rocket and connect it to the Orion Stage Adapter. This will require the EGS team to align the spacecraft perfectly with the adapter before gently attaching the two together. This operation will take several hours to make sure Orion is securely in place.
Image Credit: NASA/Chad Siwik
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Teams at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have completed applying a spray-on foam insulation to the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) for the Artemis III mission. The LVSA is a cone-shaped piece of hardware that connects the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s upper and lower stages and partially encloses the engine of the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The spray-on foam insulation is a type of thermal protection system that is used to protect the Moon rocket’s hardware from the extreme temperatures, forces, and sounds it’ll experience during launch and ascent. Unlike other parts of the mega rocket, the thermal protection system for the LVSA is applied entirely by hand using a tool similar to a spray gun. It is the largest piece of SLS hardware to be hand sprayed. Teams started applying the thermal protection system in March.
The LVSA in this video will be used for Artemis III, the mission that will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface. The LVSA is fully manufactured at Marshall by NASA, lead contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering, and the Jacobs Space Exploration Group’s ESSCA contract.
Image credit: NASA
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This image is of the first core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as it departed Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on April 23, 2021, aboard the Pegasus barge, following completion of the Green Run series of tests of its design and systems. The stage now is in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. At Kennedy, the core stage will be integrated with the rest of the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft in preparation for launch. Through the Artemis program, NASA will return humans, including the first woman and first person of color, to the Moon and prepare for eventual journeys to Mars.
Credit: NASA
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NASA Identifies Candidate Regions for Landing Next Americans on Moon
As NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the Moon under Artemis, the agency has identified 13 candidate landing regions near the lunar South Pole. Each region contains multiple potential landing sites for Artemis III, which will be the first of the Artemis missions to bring crew to the lunar surface, including the first woman to set foot on the Moon.
Shown here is a rendering of 13 candidate landing regions for Artemis III. Each region is approximately 9.3 by 9.3 miles (15 by 15 kilometers). A landing site is a location within those regions with an approximate 328-foot (100-meter) radius.
Image credit: NASA
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Future lunar landers might come equipped with 3D printed rocket engine parts that help bring down overall manufacturing costs and reduce production time. NASA is investing in advanced manufacturing – one of five industries of the future – to make it possible.
Through a series of hot-fire tests in November, NASA demonstrated that two additively manufactured engine components – a copper alloy combustion chamber and nozzle made of a high-strength hydrogen resistant alloy – could withstand the same extreme combustion environments that traditionally manufactured metal structures experience in flight.
Image credit: NASA
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NASA powered up its third RS-25 engine hot fire test of the new year Feb. 24, on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Operators fired the engine past recent testing at the 111% power level up to 113% for a period of time. NASA is testing RS-25 engines to help power the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future deep space missions. Initial SLS missions will send the agency’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.
Image Credit: NASA
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On April 8, 2022, this 30-second exposure captured the International Space Station as it passed over the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This photo was chosen by the NASA Headquarters photographers as one of the best images from 2022..
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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More about the Space Launch System
NASA’s testing for redesigned RS-25 engines to be used on future Space Launch System (SLS) missions continued with a March 8 full-duration hot fire at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
The test, conducted on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA Stennis, was the third of the year and part of an ongoing certification hot fire series. It also was the third test since an upgraded nozzle was installed on the RS-25 engine just prior to a Feb 8 hot fire. The redesigned engines provided by lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne will be used on future Artemis flights to the Moon, beginning with Artemis V, as NASA continues its mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
Here, a mounted field camera offers a close-up views as NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on March 8, 2023.
Image Credit: NASA
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The core stage for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, rocket is seen in the B-2 Test Stand during a hot fire test, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The four RS-25 engines fired for a little more than one minute and generated 1.6 million pounds of thrust. The hot fire is part of the Green Run test series, a comprehensive assessment of the Space Launch System’s core stage prior to launching the Artemis I mission to the Moon.
Credit: NASA
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NASA completed developmental engine testing March 30 with a full-duration RS-25 hot fire, to support future engines that will launch Space Launch System (SLS) astronauts deeper into space than ever.
Operators fired RS-25 engine No. 0525 for about eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds) and up to 111% power level on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The March 30 hot fire completed the fourth developmental test series and sets Aerojet Rocketdyne, lead contractor for NASA’s SLS engines, on pace to produce new RS-25s for future use.
Image Credit: NASA
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NASA conducted its fourth RS-25 single-engine hot fire of the year May 20, a continuation of its seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. The engine was fired for more than 8 minutes (500 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, the same amount of time RS-25 engines need to fire for launch of the SLS rocket. The test series is designed to provide valuable data to Aerojet Rocketdyne, prime contractor for the SLS engines, as it begins production of new engines for use after the first four SLS flights. Four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, will help power SLS at launch. With testing of the engines for the rocket’s first four Artemis program missions to the Moon already completed, operators now are focused on collecting data to demonstrate and verify various engine capabilities while reducing operational risk. During the May 20 test, the team fired the engine at 111% of its original power level for a set duration of time, the same level that RS-25 engines are required to operate during launch. SLS is the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built and the only one capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. As part of the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway outpost in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services operators. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.
Credit: NASA
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NASA engineers successfully completed a 24-inch diameter subscale solid rocket test on Dec. 2, 2021, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in the East Test Area. The sub-scale motor produced 76,400 pounds of thrust during the hot fire test. This test was the first of two tests supporting the Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) development effort that includes a new motor design for upcoming Artemis missions after Artemis VIII. This 334-inch motor was the longest subscale motor tested to date.
Image Credit: NASA
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The first solid rocket booster test for Space Launch System (SLS) missions beyond Artemis III seen here during a two-minute hot fire test, Wednesday, September 2, 2020, at the T-97 Northrop Grumman test facility in Promontory, Utah. The flight support booster is structurally identical to each of the five-segment solid rocket boosters on the SLS rocket and produce more than 75 percent of the rocket's thrust capability.
The flight support booster test builds on prior tests and will allow NASA and Northrop Grumman, the SLS booster lead contractor, to evaluate the motor's performance using potential new materials and processes for future booster performance.
NASA is working to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. The SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and Human Landing System are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. The Artemis program is the next step in human space exploration. It’s part of America’s broader Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which astronauts will explore the Moon. Experience gained there will enable humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Credit: NASA/Northrop Grumman/Scott Mohrman
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The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for the second flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket arrived in Florida on July 28 for the final phase of production. The stage and its single RL10 engine provide the in-space propulsion needed to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft and its crew on a precise trajectory to the Moon for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis lunar missions. It is the first piece of the rocket for the Artemis II flight to arrive in Florida. Boeing and United Launch Alliance, the contractor team for the stage, shipped the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage from ULA’s facilities in Decatur, Alabama, to its Delta IV Operation Center at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The stage will undergo final processing and checkout before it is transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.
With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Image Credit: ULA
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At approximately 9:15 a.m. EDT, Sept. 27, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission were secured inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center after a four-mile journey from Launch Pad 39B that began at 11:21 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26 ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian.
After the storm has passed, teams will conduct inspections to determine impacts at the center and establish a forward plan for the next launch attempt, including replacing the core stage flight termination system batteries and retesting the system to ensure it can terminate the flight if necessary for public safety in the event of an emergency during launch.
Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
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NASA conducted a fifth RS-25 single-engine hot fire July 14 as a continuation of its ongoing seven-part test series, supporting development and production of engines for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. Operators fired the engine for more than eight minutes (500 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, providing data to Aerojet Rocketdyne, lead contractor for the SLS engines, as it produces engines for use after the first four SLS flights. Four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, will help power SLS, firing simultaneously to generate a combined 1.6 million pounds of thrust at launch and 2 million pounds during ascent. With testing of RS-25 engines for the first four Artemis program missions to the Moon completed, operators are now focused on collecting data to demonstrate and verify various engine capabilities, evaluate new engine components manufactured with cutting-edge and cost-saving technologies, and reduce operational risk. During the July 14 test, the team fired the engine at 111% of its original power level for a set time, the same level that RS-25 engines are required to operate during launch, as well as 113%, which allowed operators to test a margin of safety. NASA is building SLS as the world's most powerful rocket to send the agency's Orion spacecraft to the Moon as part of Artemis, including missions that will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface. The agency is working towards launch of the Artemis I uncrewed flight test this year, which will pave the way for future flights with astronauts to explore the lunar surface and prepare for missions to Mars. SLS and Orion, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway outpost in orbit around the Moon, are NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. RS-25 tests at Stennis are conducted by a combined team of NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services operators. Syncom Space Services is the prime contractor for Stennis facilities and operations.
Credit: NASA
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After its journey from NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi aboard the Pegasus barge, the mighty Space Launch System (SLS) core stage arrives at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27, 2021. The core stage is the final piece of Artemis hardware to arrive at the spaceport and will be offloaded and moved to Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepared for integration atop the mobile launcher with the completed stack of solid rocket boosters ahead of the Artemis I launch. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.
Credit: NASA/Mike Downs
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Technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, apply the first round of spray foam as part of the thermal protection system to the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III. The cone-shaped element connects the rocket’s core stage to its upper stage called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and partially encloses it.
Spray-on foam insulation, along with other traditional insulation materials such as cork, provide thermal protection for every part – no matter how small or large -– of the SLS rocket. The insulation is flexible enough to move with the rocket but rigid enough to handle the extreme pressures and temperatures as SLS accelerates from 0 to 17,400 mph and soars to more than 100 miles above Earth in just eight minutes.
The thermal protection system for the LVSA is applied entirely by hand using a tool similar to a spray gun. It is the largest piece of SLS hardware to be hand-sprayed. During each session, two technicians take turns applying the foam across the 20 individual “stripes,” or spray lanes, that make up the LVSA. It takes about two weeks to spray all 20 stripes, and technicians will apply another coat of thermal insulation later this summer. The LVSA is fully manufactured at Marshall by NASA and lead contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering.
NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon to advance long-term lunar exploration and scientific discovery and inspire the Artemis Generation.
Image credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock
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Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility rotated the engine section on Feb. 11 for Artemis II, the first Artemis mission with a crew, from a vertical position to a horizontal position in preparation for final assembly and integration. This breakover, or “flip,” signals that the core stage for the next Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is nearly complete. Following the successful launch of Artemis I, SLS engineers have their eyes set on the production, assembly, and testing of Moon rockets for Artemis II, III, and IV. The Artemis II core stage is in final assembly at Michoud, and crews will soon unbox the four RS-25 engines for the mission to integrate them into the stage. The engine section is the last major structure that makes up the core stage of the rocket that will help power the Artemis II mission.
Image Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson
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Driving down a bumpy gravel road, even an off-road vehicle experiences bumps and vibrations, partly because of the car’s natural frequency. An object's natural frequency is the frequency or rate that it vibrates naturally when struck. When forces like speed and the smoothness of the road are just right, the car will vibrate in tune with that same frequency.
Rockets flying through the atmosphere to space, including NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), are no different. They have natural frequencies and experience dynamic forces during launch and ascent. Understanding those frequencies and what they look like is critical to steering SLS and the Orion spacecraft safely through the atmospheric "road" to space.
To safely control the rocket's flight, the flight software and navigation system must distinguish the rocket's natural frequencies from the vibration frequencies experienced during flight. That's why teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are performing integrated modal testing to determine the different modes of vibration with the recently stacked, integrated SLS rocket before launch of the Artemis I mission.
Here, modal testing is underway in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using the Orion stage adapter structural test article and the Mass Simulator for Orion. The test hardware articles have the same weight and mass characteristics as their respective flight components.
Image Credit: NASA
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As crews at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida assemble the Moon rocket for the Artemis I mission, teams have installed the flight software that will help steer, fly, track, and guide the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during launch and ascent to space. Engineers loaded the flight software onto the rocket on Aug. 6 after powering up the core stage that contains the flight computers for the first time since stacking began.
With the software installed, the engineers that developed the flight software at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are supporting final checkouts and completing tests to certify the software for the mission.
In this image, crews with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are assembling the Space Launch System rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon. The largest piece of SLS is the 212-foot orange core stage that forms the backbone of the rocket. At launch, the SLS rocket’s two solid rocket boosters, seen here mounted on the side of the core stage, and the core stage’s four RS-25 engines fire together to produce more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust. Inside the core stage are the flight computers and avionics systems that steer, fly, track, and guide the rocket during its launch and ascent to space.
Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA conducted a long duration hot fire of an RS-25 certification engine March 21, continuing a key series of testing to support future Space Launch System (SLS) missions to deep space as part of Artemis missions as the agency continues to inspire the world through discovery.
Operators fired the certification engine for 10 minutes (600 seconds), longer than the 500 seconds engines must fire during an actual mission, on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Operators also fired the engine up to 113% power level, exceeding the 111% level needed during SLS launch. Hot fires of longer duration and higher power level allow operators to test the limits of engine performance and provide a margin of safety for flight operations. The March 21 hot fire was the fourth test in a series that began in early February to certify production of new RS-25 engines by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne. The company is using advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, to reduce the cost and time needed to build new engines for use on missions beginning with Artemis V. Four RS-25 engines help power SLS at launch, including on its Artemis missions to the Moon.
Through Artemis, NASA is returning humans, including the first woman and the first person of color, to the Moon to explore the lunar surface and prepare for flights to Mars. SLS is the only rocket capable of sending the agency's Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.
Image Credit: NASA
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NASA conducted a long-duration RS-25 single-engine test April 28, continuing its seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for future missions of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Operators fired the engine for almost 11 minutes (650 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, providing valuable data to Aerojet Rocketdyne, lead contractor for the SLS engines, as it begins production of new engines for use after the first four SLS flights. Four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, will help power SLS at launch. Engines for the rocket’s first four Artemis program missions to the Moon already have been tested. Operators now are focused on collecting data to demonstrate and verify various engine capabilities, evaluate new engine components manufactured with cutting-edge and cost-saving technologies, eliminate operating risks, and enhance engine production. The latest 650-second duration test represents the time three engines would have to fire to burn up propellant and power SLS to orbit, if the fourth engine shut down early during launch.
Credit: NASA
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The pressure vessel is the primary structure for Orion’s crew module, joined together using state-of-the-art welding by technicians from lead contractor Lockheed Martin.
Both the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are making progress towards Artemis missions to the Moon. With the spacecraft for the Artemis I and II missions manufactured as part of the design and development phase, the Artemis III pressure vessel is the first crew module structure off the line in the long-term production phase. Next, it will ship to NASA's Kennedy Space Center where teams will begin integration of Orion's systems.
Orion, SLS, and the Exploration Ground Systems are foundational elements of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach. Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of Orion and SLS and is targeted to launch later this year. Artemis II will follow as the first crewed mission, taking humans around the Moon and back to Earth to pave the way for future missions to the Gateway and the lunar surface aboard a commercial human landing system. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, establish a long-term presence on the lunar surface, and prepare for human missions to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon
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Technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans moved the engine section of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon, into position for the final join of the core stage Feb. 22. The engine section is the bottom-most portion of the 212-foot-tall core stage. It is the last of five major elements that is needed to connect the stage into one major structure. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff and flight. During launch and flight, liquid propellants from the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tanks are delivered through the engine section to the four RS-25 engines. The engine section also includes the avionics that help steer the engines after liftoff.
Next, teams will join the engine section to the core stage for the second SLS rocket. After the join is complete, teams will begin to add each of the four RS-25 engines one by one to complete the stage. The completely assembled stage with its four RS-25 engines will be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this year. The SLS rocket is the only rocket capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.
Image credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon
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On International Women's Day, March 8, 2023, NASA celebrated the women responsible for helping return humanity to the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color under NASA's Artemis missions. Artemis launch director – and NASA's first woman launch director – Charlie Blackwell-Thompson leads her launch team, which is composed of about 30% women, into a new era of space exploration.
Since the early days at NASA, starting with the Mercury Program, women have helped pave the way for some of the agency's greatest achievements, and their roles continue to grow today. When Apollo 11 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA's JoAnn Morgan was the only woman engineer working in Firing Room 1 of Kennedy's Launch Control Center. The number of women holding positions within Artemis has grown exponentially across the agency and NASA remains dedicated to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Through Artemis, NASA will establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities on the Moon and inspire the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.
Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA marked a significant milestone Sept. 30 in its plans for future missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars with completion of an RS-25 single-engine Retrofit-2 test series at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
A full-duration hot fire of RS-25 developmental engine No. 0528 on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis culminated a seven-test series to support development and production of new engines for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions.
Credit: NASA
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With Artemis teammates and media watching, United Launch Alliance (ULA) crews guide the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III to the loading dock at ULA’s facility in Decatur, Alabama, July 31. ULA’s R/S RocketShip will transport the flight hardware to ULA’s sister facility in Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where it will undergo final checkouts.
The ICPS and its single RL10 engine provides in-space propulsion during Artemis III, firing to send astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a precise trajectory to the Moon. This ICPS for Artemis III is the last of its kind as SLS transitions to its next, more powerful Block 1B configuration with an upgraded upper stage beginning with Artemis IV.
Here, ULA technicians in Decatur, Alabama, prepare the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) for boxing July 29. The SLS upper stage is raised and lowered into a container for shipment to the Space Coast.
Image credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock
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NASA completed manufacturing of a hydrogen tank barrel that will be tested as a weld confidence article for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). Weld confidence articles help establish welding procedures and interfaces between the tooling and hardware and ensure the structural integrity of the welds. Starting with the Artemis IV mission, the EUS will provide the power to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon.
After NASA and lead contractor Boeing completed manufacturing of the test tank barrel at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, technicians moved it from the Vertical Weld Center where it was built to the Vertical Assembly Center for further processing. Engineers will cut the barrel into small sections for mechanical testing and analysis that will help verify the parameters that will be used to build the rocket stage.
For NASA’s first three Artemis missions, the SLS rocket will use an interim cryogenic propulsion stage with one RL10 engine to send Orion to the Moon. The EUS will be used on the rocket’s Block IB evolved configuration for flights beyond Artemis III.
The upper stage has larger propellant tanks and four RL10 engines. The evolution of the rocket to SLS Block 1B configuration with EUS enables SLS to launch 40% more cargo to the Moon along with the crew. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and heavy cargos to the Moon in a single mission. The SLS rocket, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and commercial human landing systems are part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration.
Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA
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Technicians have loaded the last of 10 CubeSats into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's five-foot-tall Orion stage adapter at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the Orion spacecraft separates from the SLS rocket for a precise trajectory toward the Moon, the shoebox-sized payloads are released from the Orion stage adapter to conduct their own science and technology missions.
SLS's main goal for the Artemis I mission is to successfully send the uncrewed Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit where it can test out critical spacecraft systems and then return to Earth testing the spacecraft's heat shield at lunar reentry speeds. The Orion stage adapter connects the rocket to Orion and contains room inside the adapter to provide a rare opportunity to send the CubeSats to deep space using extra lift-capacity on the uncrewed mission. The CubeSats will study everything from the Moon to asteroids to the deep space radiation environment. Each CubeSat provides its own propulsion and navigation to get to various deep space destinations.
Here, the Jacobs team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida installing the last of 10 CubeSats in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s Orion stage adapter. Biosentinel, the final CubeSat to be loaded, will study how radiation affects living organisms in deep space. Biosentinel joins nine other CubeSats that will be studying a variety of destinations, including the Moon, and scientific areas important to deep space exploration.
Image Credit: NASA
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The last piece of Space Launch System (SLS) rocket hardware has been added to the stack at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Crews with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs added the Orion stage adapter to the top of the rocket inside the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building. To complete the Artemis I stack, crews will soon add the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system on top of Orion stage adapter.
The Orion stage adapter, built at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama connects Orion to the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), which was built by Boeing and United Launch Alliance at ULA’s factory in Decatur, Alabama. During the mission, the ICPS will fire one RL10 engine in a maneuver called trans-lunar injection, or TLI, to send Orion speeding toward the Moon.
Image Credit: NASA
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