Parts of the main structure placed on NASA's next lunar rocket

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The NASA engineering team at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) of New Orleans won the final five Space Launch System (SLS) components on September 19th.

This will allow NASA's next lunar rocket, the Orion, to launch its lunar mission, the first since Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969.

The flight will be unsheathed and should be launched in 2021. The next crewed mission is scheduled for 2024.

RELATED: NASA's SPACECRAFT ORIGIN HAS TAKEN A CRITICAL PROPULSION TEST

The SLS assembly

The last piece to ride on the SLS was a 64 meters in height (212 feet) basic step which was the motor part. This section will serve as the point of attachment for the four RS-25 engines, capable of generating two million pounds of thrust.

"Now, to complete the stage, NASA will add the four RS-25 engines complement the latest functional tests of integrated avionics (electronics) and propulsion, "said Julia Bassler, SLS Stage Manager at NASA.

NASA places the last pieces of its launch system in space due to sending a rocket to the moon
The main-phase test team recently completed the structural tests, confirming that the structural design of the stage liquid hydrogen reservoir was adapted to the conditions encountered in the initial rocket configuration, called Block 1, at the time of the test. launch of Artemis I. The 149-foot test article was placed in a test stand at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where engineers put the tank to the test during 37 different tests simulating the launching stresses experienced by the SLS rocket during the flight. Testing will continue later this year to show that the structural design of the tank is adequate for future vehicle designs, which will evolve into IB block configuration and missions with more extreme forces. Source: Tyler Martin / NASA.

"It's an exciting moment as we complete the first production of the complex scene that will provide the power to send the Artemis 1 mission to the moon," Bassler continued.

Since its announcement in 2010, it's been an exciting time for the SLS assembly team, which has been facing delays and cost overruns since the project began.

The next lunar mission

NASA plans to send the first woman and man to the South Lunar Pole by 2024. The first crewed mission will follow after the launch of Artemis 1 in 2022, which aims to send astronauts go around the moon without landing.

Over the next few months, SLS engineers will be working on attaching the RS-25s, connecting them to the main systems inside the engine.

NASA places the last pieces of its launch system in space due to sending a rocket to the moon
The Delta United Alliance Alliance IV heavy rocket with NASA's Orion spacecraft mounted at the top. Source: Bill Ingalls / NASA.

The SLS is the main stage on which the Orion spacecraft will be placed, with two solid rocket propellants (SRB).

The Orion spacecraft is the next generation of American crewed spaceship, with the ability to go on the Moon, as well as asteroids and other missions in the deep space.

NASA's long-term goal is to build Gateway, a space station that will be placed in lunar orbit. The bridge will not be ready by 2024. However, astronauts will have another "lighter" bridge option for docking.

John Shannon, SLS Program Manager at Boeing – the main contractor responsible for building the NASA rocket – said: "There are other rockets on the drawing board right now. But with regard to a vehicle designed to support Orion and parts of the Gateway station or landing gear on the Moon, SLS is really the only one. "

The next step for the rocket is to undergo a test test at the end of the year. Jennifer Boland-Masterson, Director of MAF Operations for Boeing, said: "Boeing hopes to have completed the final assembly of the main phase of Artemis 1 in December."

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