Tag: EUS
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NASA completes Exploration Upper Stage CDR, focuses new office on SLS Block 1B development
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program and prime contractor Boeing have a new framework in place to finish development of the next version of the new launch vehicle, called Block 1B. The biggest addition to the Block 1B SLS vehicle will be the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) on…
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Second SLS Mobile Launcher preps for construction as hardware arrives at KSC
A second Mobile Launcher (ML-2) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is heading into its construction phase as Ground Support Equipment begins to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). NASA called for a second ML to be constructed to cater for the slightly taller Block 1B SLS that is set to come online in…
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OIG leans on NASA to avoid the mistakes of ML-1 with SLS’s second Mobile Launcher
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published an extensive report on NASA’s use of two Mobile Launchers for its Space Launch System (SLS). With the completed Mobile Launcher -1 (ML-1) way over cost and schedule, the OIG has called on NASA to implement several recommendations for the construction of the second Mobile Launcher (ML-2)…
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Upper Stage RL10s arrive at Stennis for upcoming SLS launches
The Stennis Space Center is currently the focal point of the milestones toward the debut launch of the Space Launch System (SLS), with the Artemis-1 Core Stage currently undergoing Green Run testing on the B-2 Test Stand and the arrival of the first set of RL10 engines that will power the rocket’s Upper Stage from…
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Amid competing priorities, Boeing redesigns NASA SLS Exploration Upper Stage
After its debut was postponed and production plans suspended, NASA gave its OK in June to a set of design changes proposed by prime contractor Boeing for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). EUS was planned to become the upper stage for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on its second launch, but last year the…
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Administration proposes the end of EUS while Administrator considers full Exploration manifest rewrite
Alongside last week’s Trump Administration budget proposal to cancel future Space Launch System (SLS) upgrades, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced additional changes are being considered which would overhaul the early manifest of Exploration flights. The Administration’s new budget proposes defunding the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and related projects beginning with Fiscal Year 2020 that starts…
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Navigating the twists and turns steering SLS Development
This year’s decision to increase and extend use of the initial “Block 1” operating configuration of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) booster also impacts the space agency’s near-term plans for evolution of the launch vehicle’s design. The Congressional commitment to a second Mobile Launcher for SLS, along with the ability of SLS Block 1 to…
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NASA’s realigning dual Mobile Launcher plan targets extra SLS Block 1 missions
Space Launch System (SLS) managers are now planning for the utilization of two Mobile Launchers (MLs), allowing for additional use of the rocket on both crewed and cargo-only missions. The first major cargo-only flight is being focused on the Europa Clipper mission now set to ride on a Block 1 SLS, a variant which may…
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KSC evaluating the groundwork challenges for SLS Block 1B upgrades
NASA’s monster rocket will evolve into an even larger vehicle early in her lifetime, as the Block 1 rocket grows into the workhorse known as the Block 1B. With a large increase in capability – and height – the Block 1B will require a revamp of numerous elements of the KSC ground systems, ranging from…
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MSFC propose Aerojet Rocketdyne supply EUS engines
The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has issued a “Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC)” solicitation in support of sole sourcing RL10 engines for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) from Aerojet Rocketdyne. The document calls for an initial order of 10 engines to cover the first two flights of the Space Launch…