Space Launch System

The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American <a href="/facts/Super_heavy-lift_launch_vehicle/JSwbocv8">super heavy-lift</a> <a href="/facts/Expendable_launch_system/CaW43W5z">expendable launch vehicle</a> used by <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a>. As the primary launch vehicle of the <a href="/facts/Artemis_program/QHBrKFI8">Artemis</a> Moon landing program, SLS is designed to launch the crewed <a href="/facts/Orion_(spacecraft)/nh8VQRpD">Orion spacecraft</a> on a trans-lunar trajectory. The first (and so far only) SLS launch was the uncrewed <a href="/facts/Artemis_I/X1hVaBxT">Artemis I</a>, which took place on 16 November 2022.
Development of SLS began in 2011 as a replacement for the retiring <a href="/facts/Space_Shuttle/7BoyetEv">Space Shuttle</a> as well as the canceled <a href="/facts/Ares_I/rTecoQ5S">Ares I</a> and <a href="/facts/Ares_V/k6fxyVKV">Ares V</a> launch vehicles. SLS was built using existing Shuttle technology, including <a href="/facts/Space_Shuttle_Solid_Rocket_Booster/ETayF0Xh">solid rocket boosters</a> and <a href="/facts/RS-25/vGkj6Vxm">RS-25</a> engines. The rocket has been criticized for its political motivations, seen as a way to preserve jobs and contracts for aerospace companies involved in the Shuttle program at great expense to NASA. The project has faced significant challenges, including mismanagement, substantial budget overruns, and significant delays. The first Congressionally mandated launch in late 2016 was delayed by nearly six years.
All Space Launch System flights are to be launched from <a href="/facts/Kennedy_Space_Center_Launch_Complex_39B/TS56c5d6">Launch Complex 39B</a> at the <a href="/facts/Kennedy_Space_Center/zmwszuPr">Kennedy Space Center</a> in Florida. The first three SLS flights are expected to use the Block 1 configuration, comprising a <a href="/facts/Space_Launch_System_Core_Stage/eRc6DJAC">core stage</a>, extended Space Shuttle boosters developed for Ares I and the <a href="/facts/Delta_Cryogenic_Second_Stage/Jn3zchkc">Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage</a> (ICPS) upper stage. The improved Block 1B configuration, with the powerful and purpose-built <a href="/facts/Exploration_Upper_Stage/7aeSEWkR">Exploration Upper Stage</a> (EUS), is planned to be introduced on the fourth flight; a further improved Block 2 configuration with new solid rocket boosters is planned for the ninth flight. After the launch of <a href="/facts/Artemis_IV/QHBrKFI8">Artemis IV</a>, NASA plans to transfer production and launch operations of SLS to <a href="/facts/Deep_Space_Transport_LLC/GcX78IkR">Deep Space Transport LLC</a>, a joint venture between Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

Space Launch System open-in-new

Space Launch System