SLS Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com Covering the business and politics of space Fri, 02 May 2025 17:41:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png SLS Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com 32 32 80681979 White House budget proposal would phase out SLS and Orion, scale back ISS operations https://spacenews.com/white-house-budget-proposal-would-phase-out-sls-and-orion-scale-back-iss-operations/ https://spacenews.com/white-house-budget-proposal-would-phase-out-sls-and-orion-scale-back-iss-operations/#respond Fri, 02 May 2025 15:53:53 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=516839 SLS/Orion

The White House is proposing to phase out SLS and Orion spacecraft as well as reduce ISS operations in its fiscal year 2026 budget request.

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Boom or bust? Making sense of conflicting signals in the space economy https://spacenews.com/boom-or-bust-making-sense-of-conflicting-signals-in-the-space-economy/ https://spacenews.com/boom-or-bust-making-sense-of-conflicting-signals-in-the-space-economy/#respond Fri, 21 Feb 2025 23:15:01 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513432 Artemis 2 booster segment

Conflicting signals are painting a confusing picture for a space economy caught between short-term caution and long-term optimism.

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Boeing warns SLS employees of potential layoffs https://spacenews.com/boeing-warns-sls-employees-of-potential-layoffs/ https://spacenews.com/boeing-warns-sls-employees-of-potential-layoffs/#respond Sat, 08 Feb 2025 01:32:53 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=512740 Artemis I

Boeing has notified employees working on the Space Launch System program that up to 400 of them could lose their jobs.

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Artemis contractors defend current architecture as fastest way to return to the moon https://spacenews.com/artemis-contractors-defend-current-architecture-as-fastest-way-to-return-to-the-moon/ https://spacenews.com/artemis-contractors-defend-current-architecture-as-fastest-way-to-return-to-the-moon/#respond Thu, 30 Jan 2025 09:09:57 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=512183 Artemis 2 booster segment

Companies involved in the Artemis lunar exploration campaign urged the new administration to retain the current architecture to avoid more delays.

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Mars Next and “All of the Above” https://spacenews.com/mars-next-and-all-of-the-above/ https://spacenews.com/mars-next-and-all-of-the-above/#respond Fri, 13 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=510039 Concept art of a Starship launch pads on a Mars base. Credit: SpaceX

As the next administration takes shape, countless voices are vying for influence over the future of America’s space program. I’d wager one in particular — someone apparently very close to […]

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NASA’s inspector general predicts continued cost growth for SLS mobile launch platform https://spacenews.com/nasas-inspector-general-predicts-continued-cost-growth-for-sls-mobile-launch-platform/ https://spacenews.com/nasas-inspector-general-predicts-continued-cost-growth-for-sls-mobile-launch-platform/#respond Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:32:58 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=504943 ML-2 construction

A contract to build a second mobile launch platform for the Space Launch System could end up costing NASA more than six times its original value, a report by the agency’s inspector general concluded.

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SLS contract extension hints at additional Artemis delays https://spacenews.com/sls-contract-extension-hints-at-additional-artemis-delays/ https://spacenews.com/sls-contract-extension-hints-at-additional-artemis-delays/#respond Thu, 22 Aug 2024 11:46:34 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=504706 SLS LVSA

NASA plans to extend the contract for one element of the current version of the Space Launch System with options that suggest the agency is protecting against multi-year delays in future missions.

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NASA watchdog finds quality control problems with Boeing SLS work https://spacenews.com/nasa-watchdog-finds-quality-control-problems-with-boeing-sls-work/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-watchdog-finds-quality-control-problems-with-boeing-sls-work/#respond Mon, 12 Aug 2024 10:17:07 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=498494 SLS EUS

NASA’s internal watchdog sharply criticized the work Boeing is doing on the next version of the Space Launch System, finding serious lapses in quality control.

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Second SLS core stage ready to ship to Florida https://spacenews.com/second-sls-core-stage-ready-to-ship-to-florida/ https://spacenews.com/second-sls-core-stage-ready-to-ship-to-florida/#respond Wed, 17 Jul 2024 05:45:56 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=497203 SLS core stage

NASA rolled out the second core stage for the Space Launch System rocket July 16 to ship it to Florida for the Artemis 2 mission next year.

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House introduces NASA reauthorization act https://spacenews.com/house-introduces-nasa-reauthorization-act/ https://spacenews.com/house-introduces-nasa-reauthorization-act/#respond Wed, 10 Jul 2024 04:38:15 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=466222

A bipartisan NASA act would formally authorize several ongoing programs while directing the agency to provide reports on topics ranging from Space Launch System usage to servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope.

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Final NASA 2024 spending bill defers decision on MSR funding https://spacenews.com/final-nasa-2024-spending-bill-defers-decision-on-msr-funding/ https://spacenews.com/final-nasa-2024-spending-bill-defers-decision-on-msr-funding/#respond Sun, 03 Mar 2024 23:28:33 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=350561

Congressional appropriators have released a final fiscal year 2024 spending bill that cuts NASA funding from what the agency received in 2023 while deferring a decision on spending for Mars Sample Return (MSR).

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NASA compiling lessons learned from Artemis 1 https://spacenews.com/nasa-compiling-lessons-learned-from-artemis-1/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-compiling-lessons-learned-from-artemis-1/#respond Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:37:43 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=343770 SLS Artemis 1 launch

NASA is wrapping up an effort to collect lessons learned from the Artemis 1 mission that address both technical and programmatic issues that the agency hopes to apply more broadly to the overall Artemis lunar exploration campaign.

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NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions https://spacenews.com/nasa-delays-artemis-2-and-3-missions/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-delays-artemis-2-and-3-missions/#respond Tue, 09 Jan 2024 23:08:25 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=226782 Artemis 2 crew and Orion

NASA is postponing the next two Artemis missions, including the first crewed landing on the moon, by nearly a year to address technical issues that could affect the safety of the astronauts on board.

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New contract unlikely to significantly reduce SLS costs https://spacenews.com/new-contract-unlikely-to-significantly-reduce-sls-costs/ https://spacenews.com/new-contract-unlikely-to-significantly-reduce-sls-costs/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 11:28:06 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=195018 SLS Block 1B launch

NASA’s plans to buy future launches of the Space Launch System as a service are unlikely to achieve hoped-for cost savings, the agency’s inspector general concluded, recommending NASA keep its options open for alternative launch vehicles.

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All Engines Added to NASA’s Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage https://spacenews.com/all-engines-added-to-nasas-artemis-ii-moon-rocket-core-stage/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:38:35 +0000 https://spaceref.com/?p=211170 Artemis II Core Stage

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have structurally joined all four RS-25 engines onto the core stage for NASA’s Artemis II Moon rocket. The flight test is […]

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GAO report calls for more transparency on SLS costs https://spacenews.com/gao-report-calls-for-more-transparency-on-sls-costs/ https://spacenews.com/gao-report-calls-for-more-transparency-on-sls-costs/#respond Fri, 08 Sep 2023 11:27:15 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=180834 Artemis 2 core stage

The Government Accountability Office called on NASA to be more transparent about the costs of the Space Launch System rocket, a vehicle senior agency officials acknowledged risked becoming “unaffordable.”

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NASA developing larger cubesat payload adapter for SLS https://spacenews.com/nasa-developing-larger-cubesat-payload-adapter-for-sls/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-developing-larger-cubesat-payload-adapter-for-sls/#respond Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:20:40 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=175779 SLS cubesat adapter

NASA is developing a larger payload adapter for cubesats flying on the next version of the Space Launch System, although it’s unclear if upcoming SLS launches will carry any such secondary payloads.

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Initial RS-25 Certification Campaign of 12 Hot-Fire Tests Complete https://spacenews.com/initial-rs-25-certification-campaign-of-12-hot-fire-tests-complete/ Fri, 23 Jun 2023 23:59:48 +0000 https://spaceref.com/?p=209344 NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on April 26, 2023. Credits: NASA/Stennis

Aerojet Rocketdyne and NASA completed a certification test series yesterday for the new RS-25 production engines that will propel NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) exploration rocket for Artemis missions, beginning […]

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NASA inspector general faults agency on SLS booster and engine overruns https://spacenews.com/nasa-inspector-general-faults-agency-on-sls-booster-and-engine-overruns/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-inspector-general-faults-agency-on-sls-booster-and-engine-overruns/#respond Tue, 30 May 2023 11:09:25 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=160648

Conversion of shuttle-era solid rocket boosters and engines for use on the Space Launch System has cost NASA billions more and taken years longer than originally planned, the agency’s inspector general concluded.

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NASA Continues Certification Testing for Redesigned RS-25 Engines https://spacenews.com/nasa-continues-certification-testing-for-redesigned-rs-25-engines/ Sun, 14 May 2023 19:45:30 +0000 https://spaceref.com/?p=208558 long-duration hot fire of an RS-25 engine May 10

NASA conducted another long-duration hot fire of an RS-25 engine May 10, continuing to pave the way for production of new engines for future deep space missions. Operators at the […]

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NASA Tests Critical In-Flight Capability During RS-25 Engine Hot Fire https://spacenews.com/nasa-tests-critical-in-flight-capability-during-rs-25-engine-hot-fire/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 21:24:00 +0000 https://spaceref.com/?p=208183 NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi on April 26, 2023. Credits: NASA/Stennis

NASA carried out a critical hot fire of the redesigned RS-25 engine April 26 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, demonstrating the gimbaling, or pivoting, capabilities […]

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NASA Artemis I Postflight Update https://spacenews.com/nasa-artemis-i-postflight-update/ Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:46:06 +0000 https://spaceref.com/?p=206926 Artemis I

NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I flight test proved the agency’s deep space rocket, spacecraft, and the ground systems needed for launch and recovery are ready to fly astronauts on missions to […]

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No major issues found with Artemis 1 mission https://spacenews.com/no-major-issues-found-with-artemis-1-mission/ https://spacenews.com/no-major-issues-found-with-artemis-1-mission/#respond Wed, 08 Mar 2023 04:58:34 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=146236 Orion capsule inspections after Artemis 1

An ongoing review of data from the Artemis 1 mission has turned up no issues that would delay the crewed Artemis 2 mission scheduled for launch late next year.

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A new leap in opportunities for the exploration and utilization of space https://spacenews.com/opinion-a-new-leap-in-opportunities-for-the-exploration-and-utilization-of-space/ https://spacenews.com/opinion-a-new-leap-in-opportunities-for-the-exploration-and-utilization-of-space/#respond Thu, 16 Feb 2023 18:56:31 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=143201 Illustration of NASA astronauts on the lunar South Pole.

Although the development of the SLS was driven by launch needs for human exploration of the Moon and Mars, it provides a much greater level of capability for the broader spacefaring community. 

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