Tag: SLS
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RS-25 conducts sixth SLS Static Fire test
NASA has conduct another static fire test firing of RS-25 engine number 0525 on Thursday at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, continuing development and adaptation of the engine for use with the Space Launch System (SLS). The test was number six in the opening series of seven static fires tasked with gathering development and certification…
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RS-25 fired up to 109 percent during latest Static Fire test
The Stennis Space Center conducted the latest in a series of tests with RS-25 Engine 0525 on Friday, pushing the engine to its 109 percent limit during the 535-second firing on the A-1 Test Stand. The fifth test out of a series of seven firings is paving the way for the future milestone of Static Firing…
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Orbital ATK agree deal for Orion LAS through to second SLS mission
Orbital ATK has signed a deal worth nearly $100m dollars to provide Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS) through to the second mission for the Space Launch System (SLS). The deal also covers an Ascent Abort test (AA-2) – which will be conducted in-between the maiden flight of SLS in 2018 and the second flight in the…
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NASA told to resolve SLS Upper Stage dilemma
NASA officials have admitted the interim Upper Stage for the Space Launch System is at the top of their “worry list”, as the Agency’s key advisory group insists NASA should make a decision about bringing the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) online sooner. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) fears NASA is at risk…
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Stennis fires up RS-25 engine as Shuttle veterans prepare for SLS role
With three years to go until the debut launch of the Space Launch System (SLS), RS-25 engine E0525 conducted its third SLS-related firing this week, part of a test regime that is utilizing colder liquid oxygen temperatures and greater inlet pressures. A family of RS-25s – most of which are veterans from the Space Shuttle…
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Stennis fires up RS-25 engine for full duration test
The second test firing of RS-25 engine 0525 has taken place at the A-1 Test Stand at the Stennis Space Center. The developmental engine – that never got to fly with the Space Shuttle – is paving the way for the first four RS-25 engines that will help push the Space Launch System (SLS) uphill…
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NASA selects science instruments for proposed Europa mission
NASA has selected nine out of 33 proposed instruments for inclusion in a proposed mission to the tantalizing Jovian moon known as Europa. With a primary goal of evaluating if the moon is habitable, the mission is now heading towards a Key Decision Point (KDP) to build towards “formalization”. Launching in the 2020s, the mission…
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Working the paper trail – SLS team processing thousands of CDR documents
The Critical Design Review (CDR) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is underway, with managers and engineers wading through huge piles of documentation. The process is expected to last through the summer and is expected to pass without any major technical issues, as the vehicle prepares for her maiden launch in 2018. SLS CDR: The…
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KSC constructing a “Launch Pad in a Box” at Pad 39B
The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is constructing a Deployable Launch System (DLS), marked by work at the famous Pad 39B complex. Designed to support small class launch systems, the “Launch Pad in a Box” concept will utilize the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and the former Hypergol Oxidizer Facility at the launch pad that will principally host…
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New name for Space Launch System gets backing of lawmakers
Artist’s concept of NASA’s Space Launch System. Credit: NASA/MSFC A push to give NASA’s Space Launch System a new name is garnering support from lawmakers, who have written into legislation provisions that would order NASA to rename the heavy-lift rocket through a competition among schoolchildren. If passed into law, the bill would set policy for…