Tag: HLV
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Boeing discusses use of SLS for robust lunar program
As the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues development for its debut mission in December 2017, the Boeing company has identified several exploration architectures that would be enabled by the superior capability of the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV) – ranging from missions to the Moon, through to expeditions to Mars. SLS architecture paves the way for human return to…
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SLS on track to CDR as engineers work though a baffling issue
As the Space Launch System (SLS) heads on to the path towards its Critical Design Review (CDR), engineers are close to mitigating an issue relating to the core stage’s slosh baffles. The work on the baffle design and placement is part of the stability analysis for the HLV’s ride uphill. SLS PDR to CDR: In the latest…
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Shuttle Scrubber: SLS working to avoid GUCP leaks
With a deep heritage between the Shuttle’s External Tank and the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage, a NASA team recently evaluated recommendations to mitigate against leaks of the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) – the cause of launch day delays for three Space Shuttle missions – on the monster rocket. The GUCP: The GUCP…
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VAB integration between SLS and Orion outlined by SPIO
NASA’s Spacecraft and Payload Integration Office (SPIO) has outlined the complex process of integrating Orion on to the Space Launch System (SLS) stack during processing inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The integration plan will be first put into action ahead of the opening SLS mission in 2017. How To Mate Orion With SLS: The…
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J-2X powerpack completes 2012 testing ahead of SLS role
The powerpack assembly for the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) J-2X engine has completed its year of testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine is set to provide the Earth Departure Stage (EDS) role for astronauts and hardware heading to destinations in deep space, should NASA opt to evolve SLS to the…
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NASA interest in 2024 Mars Sample Return Mission using SLS and Orion
The Mars Program Planning Group (MPPG) have added meat to the bones of a proposal that would result in the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion and a Mars spacecraft making up the key elements of a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. With large support already communicated to lawmakers, the notional mission aims to utilize a secondary…
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All hail the Super Crawler – CT-2 put through its paces ahead of SLS
One of the unsung workhorses of the space program, the Crawler Transporter, is ready for its own transition back to exploration – with CT-2 testing out its array of modifications in preparation for carrying the Space Launch System (SLS). Its growth into a “Super Crawler” is part of a 20 year extension of its lifetime…
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UK steps up, as ESA commit to ATV Service Module on NASA’s Orion
The European Space Agency (ESA) have announced they will inform NASA they are ready to build an ATV derived Service Module for Orion, to be ready for the first launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) in 2017. The announcement came after the UK stepped up with additional funding, marking the country’s first real human…
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NASA interested in payload fairing options for multi-mission SLS capability
SLS managers have asked the aerospace industry for information about the potential use of existing payload fairings for the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLV). It is hoped that differing fairing options will allow SLS to launch numerous missions outside of its role with the crewed exploration roadmap, missions that require the superior lift capability of…
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Dynetics and PWR aiming to liquidize SLS booster competition with F-1 power
One of the most famous rocket engines in history – the Apollo/Saturn’s F-1 – could one day fly again, providing Alabama company Dynetics, teamed with Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), win the advanced booster competition for the Space Launch System (SLS). Their liquid booster approach would advance SLS’ capability to launch payloads of 150mt to…