Tag: EM-1
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Orion STA undergoing pre-mission testing in Denver
With all the structural test articles (STA) of the Orion spacecraft at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems facility in the Denver area, work is underway to qualify the elements for the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) and Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) missions to the Moon. Testing of different combinations of spacecraft hardware in support of EM-1 and…
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Orion deep in processing for EM-1, planning for following missions
As US Vice President Mike Pence visited the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), one of the welcoming party, the Orion crew module, is fast taking shape ahead of its Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) flight. With major processing milestones – such as the mating of the heatshield with the Crew Module, NASA managers are already thinking ahead to…
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Solid production – Booster segments readying for opening SLS launches
Orbital ATK recently provided a peek at current production of Space Launch System (SLS) booster segments at their Promontory Propulsion Systems facility in Northern Utah. Work on the segments for the first two SLS launches continues and is on track to ship hardware to the launch site when needed. The last segment for the first launch,…
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NASA decides against putting crew on first SLS rocket launch, now delayed to 2019
An artist’s view shows NASA’s Space Launch System launching an Orion capsule. (NASA Illustration) NASA has broken the news to the White House and the world that speeding up the first crewed flight of its exploration launch system wouldn’t be worth the added cost and risk. That means the first launch of NASA’s heavy-lift Space Launch…
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NASA will not put a crew on EM-1, cites cost – not safety – as main reason
In what is a highly welcomed, if not somewhat surprising decision, NASA has officially announced that they will not place a crew onboard the first SLS flight, the EM-1 mission. The decision to keep EM-1 uncrewed was based on cost estimates for such a feat, identified as part of a White House initiative that kicked off the…
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SLS Core Stage team recovering from consequences of weld pin change
NASA and Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage prime contractor Boeing recently resumed welding elements for the launch vehicle’s first flight after a technical issue suspended welding last year. A change to a welding tool in the Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana, had unintended consequences that…
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NASA finally sets goals, missions for SLS – eyes multi-step plan to Mars
After years without concrete missions beyond the current EM-2 test flight, NASA has finally unveiled a plan for multiple missions of its SLS rocket. The plan would see NASA initiate a multi-step approach to human exploration in cislunar space while simultaneously developing the architecture to enable human missions to Mars – all of which is…
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Investigating the potential of including a crew on the maiden flight of SLS
With NASA’s management officially informing the workforce that evaluations are taking place into installing a crew on to the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), the challenge of ensuring crew safety will gain additional focus. Without an uncrewed test flight, a modification to the Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) profile is likely, ranging from…
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Proof is in the Core as SLS pushes towards maiden launch
The first fully-welded Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage propellant tank was recently moved to its proof testing facility at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF), to begin final preparations for the first set of tests to begin. The liquid hydrogen (LH2) qualification tank will be a pathfinder for Core Stage prime contractor Boeing and NASA…
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Boeing and NASA prepare for the assembly of the first SLS rocket
Prime contractor Boeing recently discussed the current progress of assembly and production for the first Core Stage elements of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). With assembly of the major structures almost complete, all the different first-time pieces are working their way along parallel paths at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, Louisiana, as…