Tag: Upper Stage
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NASA confirms EUS for SLS Block IB design and EM-2 flight
Following internal conversations regarding the upper stage design for the forthcoming second flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) – named Exploration Mission -2 (EM-2) – NASA has confirmed a move to change not just the upper stage of SLS for EM-2, but also to change the iteration of SLS that will fly the mission.…
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New SLS mission options explored via new Large Upper Stage
As NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues toward its initial debut in 2017, a Boeing proposal for a new Large Upper Stage for the rocket would see SLS gain the ability to perform more complex, long-range missions in a more cost-effective manner. New missions for SLS: As previously reported by NASASpaceflight.com, Boeing has brought…
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SLS upper stage proposals reveal increasing payload-to-destination options
With less than a year to go before the inaugural flight of NASA’s Orion crew capsule and just over four years until the debut of the SLS rocket in 2017, work on the massive Heavy Lift Vehicle continues with ongoing proposals and studies targeting the vehicle’s upper stage. Expanding SLS capabilities: As the Space Launch…
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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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Aerojet complete PDR on next-gen Upper Stage engine turbopump
Based on a request from the US Air Force, a new Upper Stage engine – to ultimately replace the RL-10 used by the Atlas V and Delta IV – has made another advance, as Aerojet – one of the competitors to win the contract to debut the engine in 2017 – noted they that have…