Tag: SLS
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Digging into the details of Orion’s EM-1 test flight
As NASA continues to analyze and refine the profile for the Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) test flight, more information about the multi-week mission is beginning to be detailed. The Orion spacecraft will fly into orbit around the Moon before returning to Earth in a shakedown mission before the first crew flies in Orion on Exploration Mission-2…
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Aerojet Rocketdyne progressing towards six-engine RS-25 production run
As the next series of RS-25 engine test firings at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi nears, prime contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne is assembling the new components to complete testing and certification of its “production restart” design and fabricating the parts for new flight engines. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RS-25 program is primarily based out of its Canoga…
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Boeing finishes SLS LOX tank foam work, recovering from tube contamination issues
Prime contractor Boeing recently completed Thermal Protection System (TPS) applications on the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank for Core Stage-1 (CS-1), the first NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage. The cryogenic propellant tank was moved out of Cell N at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans on June 20, where spray-on foam insulation…
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RS-25 program gearing up for production restart, next test series
Restart of RS-25 rocket engine production is ramping up at prime contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Canoga Park facility in the Los Angeles area. Components for the next test series that will help certify design changes and modernization of manufacturing techniques are already assembled on a development engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Workhorse ground…
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RS-25 program gearing up for production restart, next test series
Restart of RS-25 rocket engine production is ramping up at prime contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Canoga Park facility in the Los Angeles area. Components for the next test series that will help certify design changes and modernization of manufacturing techniques are already assembled on a development engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Workhorse ground…
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NASA digging into SLS Block 1 revival plans after getting second Mobile Launcher money
NASA has started updating plans and schedules for additional SLS Block 1 launches in the early 2020s after Washington added federal budget money for a second Mobile Launcher (ML) platform and umbilical tower in late March. Construction of a new Mobile Launcher frees the first ML from a three-year long downtime for teardown and reassembly…
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Schedule for First SLS Core Stage Still Sliding
A recent assessment of the completion date for the first Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage now puts it at the end of May, 2019, close to the middle of next year. The date indicates that production and assembly schedules are still sliding and is reducing confidence in meeting the June, 2020 date that was…
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Mars Sample Return mission gains traction – SLS and Orion had an eye on involvement
The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have signed a statement of intent to jointly explore various options related to a potential Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission in the next decade. Returning Martian samples to Earth has long been a goal for the world’s spaceflight agencies, with new promotional materials from NASA indicating that the…
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AA-2 – NASA’s JSC Getting Orion Simulator Ready for Key Test
NASA is getting the hardware ready for an important test next year of the launch abort system (LAS) that Orion spacecraft will use during launch on missions to the Moon in the 2020s. At the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, a crew module simulator is being outfitted with equipment to turn it into…
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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…