NASA Shares First Images of the Powerful Space Launch System (SLS) Rocket Designed to Carry Humans to the Moon.
On June 11, engineers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida raised the 65-meter core stage between two smaller solid rocket boosters. This marks the first time all three main components of the rocket have been assembled in a launch configuration. NASA plans to launch the SLS on its first flight later this year.
The Space Launch System consists of a core stage and two solid rocket boosters. (Photo: NASA).
In the mission named Artemis-1, the SLS will transport Orion, America’s new crewed spacecraft, to the Moon. However, there will be no astronauts aboard. Engineers want to test both the rocket and the spacecraft before carrying humans in 2023. The SLS features a massive core stage that houses the propellant tanks and four powerful engines, along with two 54-meter tall solid rocket boosters (SRBs). These provide the majority of the thrust needed for the SLS to lift off from the ground during the first two minutes of flight.
Both the core stage and the SRBs are taller than the Statue of Liberty, excluding the pedestal. On June 11-12, a team of engineers at the Kennedy Space Center used a heavy crane to lift the core stage, transitioning it from a horizontal to a vertical position, and then lowered it into place between the SRBs on the mobile launch platform. The launch platform is currently located in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
The mobile launch platform allows access to the SLS for inspections, troubleshooting, maintenance, and repairs. The platform will transport the massive rocket to the launch pad. Engineers began placing the SRBs on the mobile launch platform last November. Meanwhile, the core stage was attached to a test stand in Mississippi, undergoing a comprehensive evaluation program called the Green Run.
In March 2021, the core stage engines successfully ignited for about 8 minutes, a duration sufficient for the SLS to fly from the ground into space, marking the final and most critical test of the Green Run program. After refurbishment, the core stage was transported to the Kennedy Space Center via barge.
Artemis-3, the first mission to land humans on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, is set to launch a few years later. NASA has awarded a contract to SpaceX to build the new generation lunar lander.
