Space Launch System

NASA gives priority to Artemis ground test over commercial astronaut launch

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Pilot Larry Connor and commander Mike Lopez-Alegria (left and right) during training inside a SpaceX simulator. Credit: Axiom Space / SpaceX NASA officials gave the green light Friday for the first all-commercial astronaut launch to the International Space Station on a SpaceX rocket as soon as April 3. But the astronaut launch could be delayed …

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Photos: SLS makes its debut at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

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Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now The first 322-foot-tall (98-meter) Space Launch System moon rocket arrived on launch pad 39B Friday after an overnight trek from the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The trip aboard one of NASA’s crawler-transporters lasted more than 10 hours from the time the moon rocket began …

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NASA’s most powerful rocket moved to launch pad for first time

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NASA’s Space Launch System rolls eastbound toward pad 39B. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now NASA’s powerful new moon rocket, standing more than 30 stories tall, arrived on the launch pad early Friday for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ready for a series of checkouts culminating in fueling test and …

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NASA says engine controller failure not a roadblock to first SLS test flight

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Four RS-25 main engines at the bottom of the Space Launch System’s core stage. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston NASA says a faulty memory chip was the cause of a problem that forced technicians to swap out an engine control computer on the first Space Launch System rocket late last year, but the issue is not a …

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NASA targets March rollout for SLS moon rocket, launch later this spring

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The Orion spacecraft, with its launch abort system, stands on top of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Corey Huston NASA officials said Wednesday the first rollout of the agency’s huge Space Launch System moon rocket is scheduled in mid-March for a key fueling test on a seaside launch pad …

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NASA to name astronauts this year for first Artemis moon mission

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Artist’s concept of an Orion spacecraft at the moon. Credit: NASA NASA will announce later this year the four astronauts who will slingshot around the far side of the moon on the Artemis lunar program’s first crew mission, currently scheduled for launch in 2024, the head of the agency’s human space exploration division recently said. …

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NASA shows off finished SLS moon rocket, Webb telescope

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NASA’s Space Launch System rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center Friday. Credit: Alex Polimeni / Spaceflight Now Two of NASA’s flagship missions finally nearing launch, representing more than $50 billion in U.S. government investment over multiple decades, were displayed to news media Friday at spaceports in Florida and French Guiana. At …

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NASA targets February launch for Artemis 1 moon mission

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The 74,000-pound Orion spacecraft was lifted inside the Vehicle Assembly Building this week, and mounted to the top of the Space Launch System. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux With NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket fully stacked at Kennedy Space Center, managers said Friday that Feb. 12 is the soonest the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission could blast …

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Stacking of Orion spacecraft caps assembly of first Artemis moon rocket

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The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission is lowered on top of its Space Launch System rocket Oct. 20 inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center worked overnight Wednesday to tighten 360 bolts connecting the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 moon mission …

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Watch live: NASA moves Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building

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Teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center are moving the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 moon mission into the Vehicle Assembly Building Tuesday for stacking on top of the Space Launch System. The 67-foot-tall (20-meter) spacecraft, with its launch abort system tower attached, is scheduled to move into the iconic assembly building during the predawn …

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