Tag: SLS
-
Asteroid Redirect Mission to lay the technology foundations for deep space
In the face of political uncertainty and public apathy, NASA is beginning to push the case for the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). The points of the Agency’s latest overview portray a mission that will foster the development of numerous key technological advances, most of which will be required for human missions to deep space and the…
-
KSC Pads continue preparations for future vehicles
Both of the iconic pads at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) are being revamped for their roles with new launch vehicles. Pad 39B is set to receive additional Catacomb Roof reinforcements to cope with the massive SLS Block 1B rocket, while Pad 39A’s landscape continues to change with modifications at the pad and the construction of…
-
Powerful solid rocket motor fired in Utah
A five-segment solid rocket booster fires in Utah on Wednesday. Credit: Orbital ATK A solid-fueled rocket booster fired for more than two minutes in Utah on Wednesday, spewing a torrent of glowing hot flame against a hillside in a key test for the Space Launch System, a behemoth rocket NASA is developing to send astronauts…
-
QM-1 shakes Utah with two minutes of thunder
Orbital ATK’s Qualification Motor -1 (QM-1) test has conducted a key firing on Wednesday, on the path towards the debut launch of the Space Launch System (SLS). The five segment solid rocket booster came to life at the Promontory test site in Utah, concluding a long path to its big day, involving a major investigation –…
-
Stationary rocket to be test-fired in Utah for NASA
Coverage begins at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). The largest solid rocket booster in the world, an extended version of the space shuttle motor, will be test-fired in Utah on Wednesday to check its qualifications to be part of NASA’s new heavy-lift Space Launch System. Comprised mostly of legacy space shuttle parts, including a piece…
-
KSC shopping for Liquid Hydrogen solution ahead of SLS debut
NASA has begun to plan its Liquid Hydrogen options relating to debut launch of the Space Launch System (SLS). Options under consideration include the staging of up to 30 trailers full of LH2, ready to replenish the storage tank at Pad 39B. The main consideration relates to a scrub late in the countdown – which…
-
Super Crawler CT-2 test run marks 50th anniversary
NASA’s Crawler Transporter -2 (CT-2) is continuing to enjoy its first outing in over a year, as its roll to Pad 39B tests its latest modifications ahead of an active role with the Space Launch System (SLS). Its trip at the pad began last week, but was staggered to mark the 50th anniversary of the…
-
Advanced Boosters progress towards a solid future for SLS
The giant boosters that will help shove NASA’s new monster rocket uphill are hitting milestones on two fronts. As Orbital ATK prepare for next month’s Qualification Motor -1 (QM-1) test firing of the five segment solid motor, teams are also testing the technologies required for the Advanced Booster – a motor that is set to…
-
Pad 39B to gain new Flame Deflector and Trench upgrade
One of the final upgrades to Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39B will begin in earnest, following a deal between the Kennedy’s Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program and J. P. Donovan Construction. The contract for a new Flame Deflector and associated Flame Trench work is required to help the pad deal with the immense thrust of…
-
Super Sizing Pegasus for SLS core transport
The famous Pegasus Barge is nearing the end of its jumboisation phase, as work continues to prepare it for a role in transporting the massive Space Launch System (SLS) stages from their birth place the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). The upgraded Pegasus is set to transport the first major SLS hardware from New Orleans to…