NASA and Boeing completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) on the core stage for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), verifying the new roc...
The evolvable and flexible SLS rocket will replace the retired Space Shuttle and is designed to send humans farther into the solar system, including to an asteroid and eventually to Mars, restarting U.S. deep space explorations.
The CDR, which began on June 2, confirmed the final design of the rocket’s cryogenic stages that will hold liquefied hydrogen and oxygen.
This milestone marks NASA’s first CDR on a deep-space human exploration launch vehicle since 1961, when the Saturn V rocket underwent a similar design review as the United States sought to land an astronaut on the moon.
Boeing participated in that CDR as well, as the three stages of the Saturn V were built by Boeing and its heritage companies Douglas Aircraft and North American Aviation.
Boeing also finalized a $2.8 billion contract with NASA to develop the 200-foot core stage, including the avionics system for SLS. The core stage will store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will feed the RS-25 engines at the base of the core stage.
Boeing has also been tasked to study the Exploration Upper Stage, which will be needed for the 143 ton version of SLS that will further expand mission range and payload capabilities.
The first configuration of the SLS launch vehicle will have a 77-ton lift capacity and carry an uncrewed Orion spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit to test the performance of the integrated system, scheduled for 2014.
Eventually, SLS will be evolved to a lift capacity 143 tons to enable missions even farther into our solar system.
Boeing is the prime contractor for the design, development, test and production of SLS.
