NASA has changed Artemis III into a 2027 LEO (low earth orbit) rendezvous mission. There is no orbital refueling is needed at all by SpaceX. Block 1B – the planned upgrade to the SLS rocket – is dead. No more custom builds. No second mobile launcher. NASA is standardizing the rocket so they can launch …
The pressure to fix SLS and get to a launch for Artemis 2 will build. If there is another rollback in April or new leak or valve issue in May or long repairs. The program will get closer to reaching political exhaustion. This pressure will increase if there are clean launches of SpaceX Starship in …
SLS still has helium leaks. Helium leaks have been a problem since the Space Shuttle days. It is so cold that it is hard to work with. The picture is of the SLS rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building in 2022. Rolling back to the bay for work will look the same in 2026. …
✅ Progressing well — no major hydrogen leaks reported this time. ✅ Rocket is now in its final fueling configuration (“replenish mode”) on all stages (core stage + Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage). ✅ Brief ground communications glitch earlier this morning (around 11 a.m.) was quickly resolved by switching to backup systems. ✅ Teams have completed …
SLS (Space Launch System) uses a 50 year old rocket engine design that now costs $145 million each (not including labor and testing) which is over 300 times more expensive than the more powerful SpaceX Raptor 3 engine. It is a flying museum piece that is using difficult liquid hydrogen which was the reason for …
NASA Artemis 2 mission after encountering hydrogen leaks during a fueling test of the Space Launch System. The Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft have been central to NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the Moon. Development began in earnest around 2011, following the cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010. SLS …
What is the history of NASA and some Federal Budget overruns? The Space Shuttle, ISS, SLS, and Constellation programs all experienced significant delays (2–7+ years) and budget overruns (billions). NASA has tried to pivot to fixed-price contracts since 2006 contrasts with the DoD’s continued reliance on cost-plus for complex procurements, though fixed-price use occurs in …
Boeing is preparing for the cancellation of the Space Launch System rocket. Some are arguing for the cancellation after the Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 flight. However, there are months of fixes needed for the human rated Orion. The heat shield is not safe. Rushing to get off two more flights will likely cost over …
Eric Berger is the Ars Technica, senior space editor and author of Reentry, a book about the behind the scenes SpaceX development of Falcon 9. Berger’s primary focus is on NASA and private aerospace companies. He authored Liftoff, which was published by William Morrow and Company and released in March 2021. The book chronicles the …
The SLS is the world’s most powerful rocket and will enable NASA to return humans to the moon. NASA requested $11.2 billion in the fiscal year 2024 president’s budget request to fund the program through fiscal year 2028, in addition to the $11.8 billion spent developing the initial capability. NASA) does not plan to measure …
the Space Launch System is rolling back from the launch pad to find and fix and hydrogen leak and other issues. NASA had been trying to prep for a June 6 to 16 window and the next window opens June 29 and runs through July 12. NASA will make fixes and return for full-scale tanking …