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- HLV Forum Section<\/li>\n
- L2 SLS Section<\/li>\n
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As to when the process will be complete, a lot will depend on information relating to budget support for NASA, specifically the SLS and Orion programs.<\/p>\n
In turn, SLS managers need to present a roadmap and a schedule which is far removed from the \u201cworst case\u201d scenario, one which sees SLS involved in a widely-spaced opening salvo of missions, before increasing to a flight rate of just one mission per year in the 2020s \u2013 an unacceptably low flight rate in most people\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/B4311.jpg\" "\\"B4311\\"")
NASA managers are fully aware of this, with the SLS team already looking as far ahead as FY14 in their recent manifest meeting, based mainly around the previously reported wish to halve the gap between SLS-1 in 2017 and SLS-2.<\/p>\nAerospace & Defense
<\/path>NASA educational resources <\/path>Rocket launch schedules <\/path>\n (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n
With the \u201cworst case\u201d manifest showing SLS-2 would launch in 2021 \u2013 otherwise known as the first crewed mission for SLS and Orion \u2013 it is understood that if this mission cannot be advanced to 2019, an alternative option would be to launch SLS on a cargo mission in that year.<\/p>\n
It has not yet been determined what type of cargo would fly on the SLS \u2013 a Block I (70mt) HLV \u2013 in such a schedule scenario.<\/p>\n
Other Roles For SLS:<\/p>\n
SLS\u2019 design was technically selected ahead of knowing what specific missions it would be conducting. While it has been argued the payloads should determine the design of the launch vehicle, its upmass capabilities and fairing size options at least provide some guidelines to its future passengers.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/A7111.jpg\" "\\"A7111\\"")
As noted in the SLS Con Ops presentation, flexibility is inherent with a vehicle that will debut as a 70mt deriviative, prior to growing to 100mt (Block IA) and later to a 130mt (Block II). The aim is to evolve the SLS to its full capability in time for potential missions to Mars.<\/p>\n\u201cThe SLS changes the paradigm of what can be launched, because its launch performance is far greater than that of any current vehicle. In addition, its dramatically larger launch fairing enables launching large, multi-element systems, greater science instrument mass fraction, larger electrical power supplies, and more mass for shielding and lower-complexity engineering solutions,\u201d noted the SLS Con Ops presentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis translates into an earlier return on science, a reduction in mission times, and greater flexibility for extended science missions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notable additions to the DRM section of the presentation are roles for the SLS which are separate from those which involve NASA\u2019s future exploration aspirations.<\/p>\n
Secondary Payloads \u2013 SpaceX and SLS:<\/p>\n
One of these additional roles relates to \u201cSecondary Payloads\u201d \u2013 in other words, spacecraft \u2013 usually much smaller than the primary passenger \u2013 that could potentially hitch a ride uphill with the SLS.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Z33.jpg\" "\\"Z3\\"")
The subject of secondary payloads became an important subject for SpaceX recently, as the Californian company noted its agreement to launch 18 ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites would be carried out \u2013 as secondary payloads \u2013 during Falcon 9 launches.<\/p>\nOriginally, the delivery of the second-generation satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) was set to be carried out on the Falcon 1e launch vehicle.<\/p>\n
SpaceX noted the switch to Falcon 9 was made to further maximize the cost-effectiveness of their COTS\/CRS missions, by including these additional payloads as passengers on the Falcon 9\u2032s second stage, allowing them to be deployed after the Dragon spacecraft separates from the launch vehicle.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Z43.jpg\" "\\"Z4\\"")
When SpaceX were asked if there was still a future role for Falcon 1\/1e following this switch, the company\u2019s communications director Kirstin Brost Grantham told NASASpaceflight.com: \u201cCurrent plans are for small payloads to be served by flights on the Falcon 9, utilizing excess capacity. This is a very cost effective solution for small satellite launch needs.\u201d<\/p>\nWith a number of the OG2 satellites set to fly with the next Falcon 9 \u2013 the combined COTS 2 and 3 Demo mission \u2013 NASA teams used their experienced Monte Carlo analysis methods to review the deployment of the satellites, so as to ensure they did not hold an impact risk to the International Space Station (ISS).<\/p>\n
For SLS, the Con Ops presentation noted the potential use of an Encapsulated Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring to allow for additional passengers to ride with the monster rocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SLS will pursue opportunities to fly secondary payloads in conjunction with primary missions. These services can be provided by the Science Mission Directorate (SMD), allowing deployment of these payloads along the SLS trajectory. An ESPA ring may be flown to accommodate this class of payloads.\u201d<\/p>\n
For SLS\/HLV Articles, click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/hlv\/<\/p>\n
SLS DoD Missions:<\/p>\n
In a reminder of the Space Shuttle\u2019s past, SLS managers are also eyeing up the possibility of launching military payloads on the HLV.<\/p>\n
Currently, most DoD spacecraft are launch by EELVs (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle), such as the Atlas V or the Delta IV vehicles, under the control of the United Launch Alliance (ULA). However, for a period during the early years of the Shuttle\u2019s lifetime, the orbiter\u2019s role with classified DoD payloads was commonplace.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Z52.jpg\" "\\"Z5\\"")
During the Shuttle era, the orbiters enjoyed both \u201cdedicated\u201d DoD missions \u2013 beginning with Columbia\u2019s STS-4 flight \u2013 and \u201ccivilian\u201d missions that carried, or deployed, DoD payloads. The last dedicated DoD mission was in 1992 with Discovery during STS-53, while the last \u201ccivilian\u201d mission with a DoD payload was in 2000, during Endeavour\u2019s STS-99\u2019s mission.<\/p>\nSLS managers believe NASA\u2019s previous experience with DoD missions opens up the potential to carry out SLS launches with military payloads.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther missions which may utilize the SLS capability are launches for other Government agencies, like the DoD and any Government agencies with classified missions,\u201d the Con Ops presentation noted.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/Z62.jpg\" "\\"Z6\\"")
\u201cDoD mission support will also be available on the SLS, which will be available to partner with DoD and international partners for them to use SLS launch capabilities and opportunities. Classified missions have previously been supported through the MCC (Mission Control Center) at JSC (Johnson Space Center).<\/p>\n\u201cThis capability, along with the large payload capacity of SLS, allows for a wide range of DoD payload development and flight that was not previously available within the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presentation also claimed the SLS\u2019 large payload capability may be attractive to some commercial partners, citing Bigelow Space Station modules as one example.<\/p>\n
It is likely the SLS team will wait until they know the outcome of the exploration roadmap evaluations before pursuing the potential of launching additional payloads.<\/p>\n
(Images: Via L2 content, driven by L2\u2019s SLS specific L2 section, which includes, presentations, videos, graphics and internal updates on the SLS and HLV, available on no other site. Other images via NASA and SpaceX.)<\/p>\n
(L2 is \u2013 as it has been for the past several years \u2013 providing full exclusive SLS coverage, available no where else on the internet. To join L2, click here: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/l2\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Space Launch System (SLS) teams are looking into the potential of finding extra roles for the vehicle, in addition to \u2013 or in tandem with \u2013 the flagship exploration missions, noting its availabity for Department of Defense (DoD) payloads and even what is known as \u201cSecondary Payloads\u201d \u2013 allowing satellites to hitch a ride […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29681,"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":[6998,2705,8993,9034,624,316],"class_list":["post-40212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dod","tag-eelv","tag-falcon-1","tag-hlv","tag-sls","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40212"}],"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=40212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}