{"id":23772,"date":"2025-07-17T17:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/boeing-updates-eus-progress-via-thrust-structure-render\/"},"modified":"2025-07-17T17:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:52:44","slug":"boeing-updates-eus-progress-via-thrust-structure-render","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/boeing-updates-eus-progress-via-thrust-structure-render\/","title":{"rendered":"Boeing updates EUS progress via thrust structure render"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Boeing is expected to spend 2.8 billion dollars on NASA\u2019s brand-new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which is set to ride with the Space Launch System Block 1B version of the rocket, and this week showed off part of its hardware, or at least a render of it.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"NASA\u2019s Artemis Upgrade: Boeing Reveals a CGI... Square?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KYTCI-RWNWY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>ML-2 Updates<\/li>\n<li>SLS Forum Section<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The current SLS configuration relies on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS, built by United Launch Alliance. The ICPS, essentially a modified second stage from ULA\u2019s Delta rocket family, is tailored to work with the Orion spacecraft for the first three Artemis missions.<\/p>\n<p>As its name suggests, the \u201cinterim\u201d part is key \u2013 it\u2019s a temporary solution, a placeholder until a more capable successor takes over.<\/p>\n<p>The ICPS has proven its abilities on Artemis I, providing the necessary thrust to propel Orion into lunar orbit. However, its limitations in power and payload capacity make it inadequate for the more ambitious goals of Artemis IV and beyond, which aim to deliver heavier payloads, including components for the Lunar Gateway space station, and sustained lunar surface operations.<br \/>\n<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-107905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2268\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600.jpg 2268w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600-350x198.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600-620x350.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600-1920x1084.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-01-600-1170x660.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2268px) 100vw, 2268px\"><\/p>\n<p>Enter the Exploration Upper Stage, the next-generation powerhouse designed to replace the ICPS starting with Artemis IV: That\u2019s what Boeing is working on at NASA\u2019s Michoud Assembly Facility. It\u2019s one of the upgrades coming to the SLS rocket in its new Block 1B configuration, providing a boost in payload capacity &amp; a stretch to the rocket\u2019s height that necessitates a brand-new launch platform.<\/p>\n<p>This week, the company announced it had completed the first thrust structure for this stage. It connects the four RL-10 engines to the rest of the upper stage and transfers the loads, or thrust, from the engines to the rocket. That\u2019s an upgrade from the single RL-10, which powers the ICPS. Technically, the engine itself will also be upgraded: from the RL-10B-2, to the RL-10C-3.<\/p>\n<p>Space tourism guides<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Space Technology<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>NASA educational resources<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>The completed piece is not meant for flight; it\u2019s for the structural test article that will be tested to ensure it meets all of NASA\u2019s requirements and transfers the thrust in a way that doesn\u2019t damage the upper stage. But, Boeing did say it\u2019s already working on the first flight-worthy thrust structure as well.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-107906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2268\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241.jpg 2268w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241-350x198.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241-620x350.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241-1920x1084.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-13-35-241-1170x660.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2268px) 100vw, 2268px\">Notably, Boeing didn\u2019t share any pictures of the completed thrust structure, but instead just some computer-generated images showing what it would look like, potentially for proprietary reasons.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the odd PR choice, Boeing\u2019s progress on the EUS is a positive step for the Artemis program. The recent passage of the so-called \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d by Congress has secured the SLS program\u2019s future through Artemis V, silencing earlier uncertainties under the current administration, which had considered canceling SLS after Artemis III.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-107907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2268\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093.jpg 2268w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093-350x198.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093-620x350.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093-1920x1084.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NSF-2025-07-18-01-14-31-093-1170x660.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2268px) 100vw, 2268px\">Moving forward, Boeing\u2019s ability to deliver \u2013 and perhaps show \u2013 tangible progress will be crucial. For now, we\u2019ll have to trust their word on the thrust structure and hope future updates come with real photos, not just rendered squares.<\/p>\n<p>That progress will likely next come via actual hardware production photos and video from the facility at MAF, which has been outfitting large amounts of floor space for EUS assembly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Where The ORANGE ROCKETS Come From! Artemis Hardware Exclusive Look\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GqC5jjwidrA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead Image: EUS in action with SLS \u2013 render by NASA).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boeing is expected to spend 2.8 billion dollars on NASA\u2019s brand-new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which is set to ride with the Space Launch System Block 1B version of the rocket, and this week showed off part of its hardware, or at least a render of it. See Also ML-2 Updates SLS Forum Section Click [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[304,8075,624],"class_list":["post-23772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-artemis","tag-eus","tag-sls"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23772"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23772\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}