Artemis 1 Update: The Space Launch System Now Has Its Second Stage Booster...

NASA

Earlier today, the Space Launch System (SLS) that will embark on Artemis 1 as soon as this November became 7,690 pounds (3,488 kilograms) heavier when its second stage booster, known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), was installed on the giant rocket at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. With the ICPS now part of the SLS stack, the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) will be the next component to be attached to the rocket inside KSC's cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). However, it remains to be seen whether a test article for the OSA or the flight version of the OSA itself—which will hold 13 CubeSats that will be deployed towards the Moon after launch—will be joined to the ICPS. NASA wants to give each CubeSat team as much time as possible to get their spacecraft ready for flight before they are delivered to KSC for integration onto SLS—and using the OSA replica for upcoming tests will provide that extra time.

Once the OSA is mated to the ICPS, a full-size simulator for the Orion spacecraft (technically known as the Mass Simulator for Orion) will be attached next...and then SLS and its mobile launcher will begin a couple of weeks worth of testing inside the VAB before Orion itself is installed on the Artemis 1 vehicle. That final assembly milestone is set to take place next month. Stay tuned.


NASA