First SLS launch could slip to 2018
Posted: Thu, Aug 28, 2014, 11:01 AM ET (1501 GMT)
NASA announced Wednesday that its Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket has passed a key review, but also said the rocket may not be ready for its first launch until November 2018, nearly a year later than previously planned. The SLS completed what NASA calls its Key Decision Point C (KDP-C) review, clearing the program to proceed into further development. The KDP-C set an estimated cost of that development at just over $7 billion, but also said the rocket would be ready for its first flight no later than November 2018. NASA had previously indicated SLS would launch on its first mission, EM-1, in December 2017. NASA officials said they are still working towards that earlier date, and the November 2018 date comes from models with a confidence level of 70 percent. Separate KDP-C reviews of SLS ground systems, and of the Orion spacecraft, are planned before NASA officials believe they will have a better estimate of the EM-1 launch date.
NASA announced Wednesday that its Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket has passed a key review, but also said the rocket may not be ready for its first launch until November 2018, nearly a year later than previously planned. The SLS completed what NASA calls its Key Decision Point C (KDP-C) review, clearing the program to proceed into further development. The KDP-C set an estimated cost of that development at just over $7 billion, but also said the rocket would be ready for its first flight no later than November 2018. NASA had previously indicated SLS would launch on its first mission, EM-1, in December 2017. NASA officials said they are still working towards that earlier date, and the November 2018 date comes from models with a confidence level of 70 percent. Separate KDP-C reviews of SLS ground systems, and of the Orion spacecraft, are planned before NASA officials believe they will have a better estimate of the EM-1 launch date.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Monday, June 1
SpaceX IPO: Retail Investors Say They're Worried About Sky-High Valuation
Business Insider — 1:27 am ET (0527 GMT) Elon Musk’s plans for SpaceX depend on Starship and AI
The Hill — 1:27 am ET (0527 GMT) Space race: Why Portugal is reaching for the stars
Deutsche Welle — 1:21 am ET (0521 GMT) ‘Crucial juncture for space missions’
The Hans India — 1:20 am ET (0520 GMT) NASA’s Moon Base plans put Huntsville at center of lunar future
Yellowhammer News — 1:17 am ET (0517 GMT) |
