The initial version of NASA's planned Space Launch System rocket, seen here, is expected to fly for the first time in November 2018, agency officials say. NASA<\/p>\n
After a detailed engineering and cost analysis, NASA managers have formally approved development of the Space Launch System -- SLS -- heavy-lift rocket, the most powerful booster ever attempted and a key element in the agency's long-range plans to send astronauts to nearby asteroids and, eventually, Mars, officials announced Wednesday. <\/p>\n
The SLS development program is projected to cost $7 billion from February 2014 through the rocket's maiden flight, a November 2018 test launch carrying an uncrewed Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, or MPCV, on a three-week-long shakedown mission beyond the moon and back to an ocean-splashdown on Earth. <\/p>\n
That target date is a year later than originally envisioned when NASA first laid out a tentative schedule for initial SLS flights. But senior agency managers say the projected cost and launch target are what came out of a detail analysis incorporating a wide variety of factors, including the possibility of unforeseen engineering challenges. <\/p>\n
When all of those factors were included, along with input from an independent review panel, computer analysis indicated a 70 percent chance of meeting the November 2018 target date. That was the goal in a \"best practices\" approach to program management. <\/p>\n
\"If we don't do anything, we basically have a 70 percent chance of getting to that date,\" said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations. \"Our intent is to go look at those (expected) problems and see what we can do to mitigate (them).\" <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Space Launch System rockets will come in at least two variants, one initially capable of lifting 70-metric-ton payloads and the other a gargantuan mega booster capable of lifting 130 metric tons and generating 9.2 million pounds of thrust. <\/p>\n
NASA <\/p>\n
In its most powerful version, one utilizing advanced strap-on boosters and a high-energy upper stage, the SLS will be able to lift 130 metric tons while generating a staggering 9.2 million pounds of thrust. <\/p>\n
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NASA commits to $7 billion mega rocket, 2018 debut<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The initial version of NASA's planned Space Launch System rocket, seen here, is expected to fly for the first time in November 2018, agency officials say. NASA After a detailed engineering and cost analysis, NASA managers have formally approved development of the Space Launch System -- SLS -- heavy-lift rocket, the most powerful booster ever attempted and a key element in the agency's long-range plans to send astronauts to nearby asteroids and, eventually, Mars, officials announced Wednesday. The SLS development program is projected to cost $7 billion from February 2014 through the rocket's maiden flight, a November 2018 test launch carrying an uncrewed Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle, or MPCV, on a three-week-long shakedown mission beyond the moon and back to an ocean-splashdown on Earth. Continue reading