NASA could launch the Orion crew module on a commercial rocket

We might think that we have been talking about the Space Launch System (SLS) for years and that's because we have been. NASA started this ambitious project in 2011 and finally chose Boeing as the main contractor for what will be the world's most powerful rocket. He is not yet ready to fly and NASA is starting to be impatient. According to administrator Jim Bridenstine, NASA plans to launch its Orion crew capsule on a different rocket to speed things up.

The SLS is a very heavy transport rocket based on the space shuttle and able to send payloads anywhere in the solar system. NASA has planned the SLS as Orion's main launch vehicle, a capsule intended for crew members, designed to help astronauts beyond the low Earth orbit for the first time since decades. However, the agency is now considering launching Orion without SLS to meet deadlines.

NASA has experienced several delays. NASA originally wanted to launch the SLS by the end of 2017 at a cost of $ 5-7 billion. However, the vehicle is not yet ready for launch and the price has already soared to $ 11.9 billion, according to a report released in October 2018. This report also pinpointed the contractor Boeing for most problems, evoking problems such as a delay of 18 months on a command and control software.

The most recent official schedule included the launch of Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in June 2020. This mission would see the Orion capsule orbiting the moon, but the SLS would not be ready in time. The White House has begun to press for EM-1, in the hope that it can use this hype in the run-up to the 2020 elections. The Orion module is only not exclusive to the SLS – NASA previously used a Delta IV rocket for an unarmed test flight.

It is still unclear whether NASA would still opt for the Delta IV, but Bridenstine seemed to allude to this 2014 test flight when speaking to Congress. The SpaceX Falcon Heavy could also do the job, and the company would have sent a proposal to NASA for launch. Bridenstine also launched the idea of ​​launching the SLS into Earth orbit and then sending a second rocket that would serve as a propulsion module to reach it on the Moon.

Congress seemed skeptical about these projects, but many districts benefit from SLS manufacturing. Anything that seems to threaten this project is doomed to failure.

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