News Archive / Tagged: Space Launch System

• Flight controllers for first four Space Launch System missions delivered to Stennis

  Jason RhianNovember 5th, 2018

  The flight controllers for the first planned flights of NASA's massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are now in the hands of those refurbishing the RS-25 engines that help power the SLS' first stage.

• Gallery: RS-25 test fired at Stennis

  Jason RhianSeptember 25th, 2018

  STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss — Aerojet Rocketdyne tested one of its legacy Space Shuttle Main Engine in preparation for use on NASA’s Space Launch System on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018. The A1 Test Stand weathered an eight minute test fire at 109 percent throttle starting at 3: 15 p.m. EDT (19:15 GMT). Photos courtesy: Matt […]

• Orion parachutes complete series of tests in lead up to EM-1

  Jason RhianSeptember 13th, 2018

  The last in a series of eight planned tests of NASA's Orion spacecraft was completed on Wednesday, Sept. 12 - paving the way for the first combined flight of Orion and the new super heavy-lift booster.

• What goes out, must come back: NASA moves Mobile Launcher to VAB for year of work leading to EM-1

  Curt GodwinSeptember 9th, 2018

  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- After journeying out to Launch Pad 39B for several days of fit checks and tests, NASA has rolled the 11-million pound (4.99-million kilogram) Mobile Launcher (ML) back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for further work.

• Mobile Launcher test drive inches SLS one step closer to Exploration Mission-1

  Curt GodwinSeptember 1st, 2018

  A Chinese proverb roughly states: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." While this adage rings true for those undertaking Earthly ventures, it is also fitting for the launch of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS).

• NASA performs another test of Orion’s parachute system

  Derek RichardsonJuly 21st, 2018

  Last week, NASA tested the parachute system for the space agency’s Orion spacecraft, which is being designed to send astronauts into deep space in the 2020s.

• Jettison Motor readied for integration into Orion’s LAS

  Jason RhianJuly 17th, 2018

  NASA and the agency's commercial partners have been preparing for the Orion spacecraft's Ascent Abort Test (AA-2) currently slated to take place in 2019. Aerojet Rocketdyne's jettison motor is a critical part of this test and is being prepped for use.

• Lockheed Martin 3D prints fuel tank components

  Heather SmithJuly 13th, 2018

  Lockheed Martin has announced the creation of a 3-D printed titanium dome for satellite fuel tanks. The 46-inch diameter vessel completed final rounds of quality testing this month. The program was instituted to create a high-pressure tank that can carry fuel on board satellites and marks a significant step toward streamlining the deployment of spacecraft on orbit.

• NASA tests solar sail for Exploration Mission 1’S NEA Scout

  Jim SharkeyJuly 5th, 2018

  On June 28, 2018 NASA conducted a successful deployment test of the solar sail for the space agency's Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) CubeSat mission. NEA Scout is a small satellite designed to study asteroids close to the Earth and is scheduled to launch on Exploratory Mission-1 (EM-1). The test was conducted inside a clean room at the NeXolve facility in Huntsville, Alabama. 

• As SLS’s Block 1 design matures, its capabilities come into clearer focus

  Curt GodwinMay 10th, 2018

  The Block 1 version of NASA's Space Launch System - could make more than one flight and be used for some big missions on the agency's manifest.

• ICPS umbilical installed on SLS mobile launcher

  Collin SkocikApril 3rd, 2018

  The road to the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) took another step forward March 21, 2018, when one of the last of the big swing arms was installed on the mobile launcher at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

• SLS one step closer to flight with successful completion of USA design review

  Heather SmithMarch 21st, 2018

  Dynetics has announced the completion of the universal stage adapter's (USA) preliminary design review for NASA’s new SLS rocket designed to send humans to the Moon and possible Mars. The adapter is critical for carrying additional cargo during Exploration Mission 2, the first planned crewed flight of SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

• International agencies open deep-space operating standards for public comment

  Bart LeahyMarch 7th, 2018

  On March 1, NASA, ESA, and the other partnering International Space Station agencies opened their joint International Deep Space Interoperability Standards for public comment. The documents could further global cooperation on crewed space exploration efforts beyond Earth orbit by setting common standards for projects like NASA’s planned Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.

• Acting Administrator talks FY2019 NASA budget at Marshall

  Scott JohnsonFebruary 14th, 2018

  HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- On Monday, February 12, the Trump administration released its 2019 fiscal year (FY19) budget request. NASA, via a presentation by its Acting Administrator, Robert Lightfoot, at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) highlighted NASA portions of the request.

• RS-25 completes successful second test fire of 2018

  Collin SkocikFebruary 1st, 2018

  On Feb. 1, 2018, a team of engineers at NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Syncom Space Services engineers and operators test-fired the RS-25 engine conducted a test firing at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.