Space Launch System
Artist's rendering of the SLS Block 1 launching with Orion.
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| Function | Launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Orbital ATK, Aerojet Rocketdyne |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Project cost | US$7 billion (2014-18, 2014 estimate), to $35 billion (until 2025, 2011 est.) |
| Cost per launch | US$500 million (2012 projection) |
| Size | |
| Height | 64.6 m (211 ft 11 in), Core Stage |
| Diameter | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in), Core Stage |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 70,000 to 130,000 kg (150,000 to 290,000 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicles |
| Comparable | Saturn V, Energia, N-1 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Undergoing development |
| Launch sites | LC-39B, Kennedy Space Center |
| First flight | No later than November 2018 |
| Notable payloads | Orion MPCV, Europa Multiple-Flyby Mission |
| Boosters (Block 1, 1B) | |
| No. boosters | 2 five-segment Solid Rocket Boosters |
| Thrust | 3,600,000 lbf (16,000 kN) |
| Total thrust | 7,200,000 lbf (32,000 kN) |
| Specific impulse | 269 seconds (2.64 km/s) (vacuum) |
| Burn time | 124 seconds |
| Fuel | PBAN, APCP |
| First stage (Block 1, 1B, 2) - Core Stage | |
| Length | 64.6 m (211 ft 11 in) |
| Diameter | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) |
| Empty mass | 85,270 kg (187,990 lb) |
| Gross mass | 979,452 kg (2,159,322 lb) |
| Engines | 4 RS-25D/E |
| Thrust | 7,440 kN (1,670,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 363 seconds (3.56 km/s) (sea level), 452 seconds (4.43 km/s) (vacuum) |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
| Second stage (Block 1) - ICPS | |
| Length | 13.7 m (44 ft 11 in) |
| Diameter | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Empty mass | 3,490 kg (7,690 lb) |
| Gross mass | 30,710 kg (67,700 lb) |
| Engines | 1 RL10B-2 |
| Thrust | 110.1 kN (24,800 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 462 seconds (4.53 km/s) |
| Burn time | 1125 seconds |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
| Second stage (Block 1B, Block 2) - Exploration Upper Stage | |
| Diameter | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) |
| Engines | 4 RL10 |
| Thrust | 99,000 lbf (440 kN) |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American Space Shuttle-derived heavy expendable launch vehicle being designed by NASA. It follows the cancellation of the Constellation program, and is to replace the retired Space Shuttle. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 envisions the transformation of the Constellation program's Ares I and Ares V vehicle designs into a single launch vehicle usable for both crew and cargo, similar to the Ares IV. The SLS will have similar total thrust as the Saturn V and a comparable payload capacity, putting the SLS into the super heavy-lift launch vehicle class of rockets.
The SLS launch vehicle is to be upgraded over time with more powerful versions. Its initial Block 1 version is to lift a payload of 70 metric tons to low Earth orbit (LEO), which will be increased with the debut of Block 1B and the Exploration Upper Stage. Block 2 will replace the initial Shuttle-derived boosters with advanced boosters and is planned to have a LEO capability of more than 130 metric tons to meet the congressional requirement. These upgrades will allow the SLS to lift astronauts and hardware to destinations beyond LEO: on a circumlunar trajectory, as part of Exploration Mission 1, with Block 1; to a near-Earth asteroid, in Exploration Mission 2, with Block 1B; and to Mars, with Block 2. The SLS will launch the Orion Crew and Service Module and may support trips to the International Space Station if necessary. SLS will use the ground operations and launch facilities at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
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