Space Launch System - Orion
Discussion
Ah yes, the Exploration Upper Stage. Something else Blue Origin lost their bid for (to Boeing).
It sounds like it will be quite capable, but isn’t due to debut until SLS’ 4th flight. In the meantime they have a glorified Delta IV upper stage, which is fine and will do the job I’m sure.
It sounds like it will be quite capable, but isn’t due to debut until SLS’ 4th flight. In the meantime they have a glorified Delta IV upper stage, which is fine and will do the job I’m sure.
Talksteer said:
Re SLS numbers to LEO.
The SLS can put around 70 tonnes into LEO without the upper stage with the core stage making orbit
The core stage weighs about 95 tonnes empty hence it can inject 165 tonnes into orbit.
Put a slightly heavier load on it and it stages just before orbit to maximize the payload over the injected mass.
The SLS is optimised (for pork barrel politics) for higher energy orbits than LEO and is also really optimised to use the exploration upper stage.
Thank you.The SLS can put around 70 tonnes into LEO without the upper stage with the core stage making orbit
The core stage weighs about 95 tonnes empty hence it can inject 165 tonnes into orbit.
Put a slightly heavier load on it and it stages just before orbit to maximize the payload over the injected mass.
The SLS is optimised (for pork barrel politics) for higher energy orbits than LEO and is also really optimised to use the exploration upper stage.
The ET of the Shuttle deliberately did not make orbit as they WANTED it to fall back and burn up. The Orbiter needed to fire its OMS engines for a few minutes to give it the final velocity increase to make Low Earth Orbit.
Beati Dogu said:
Ah yes, the Exploration Upper Stage. Something else Blue Origin lost their bid for (to Boeing).
It sounds like it will be quite capable, but isn’t due to debut until SLS’ 4th flight. In the meantime they have a glorified Delta IV upper stage, which is fine and will do the job I’m sure.
That sIt sounds like it will be quite capable, but isn’t due to debut until SLS’ 4th flight. In the meantime they have a glorified Delta IV upper stage, which is fine and will do the job I’m sure.
t show:Basically the EUS stage is likely to cost several billion to develop and several hundred million to procure effectively increasing the cost of an SLS launch to $2 billion.
They asked for a commercial option an Blue offered the New Glenn upper stage (with one less engine) which is basically a fat New Shepard with two engines and significant weight saving. If New Glenn was to be remotely competitive I expect the cost for that stage is in the region of $10-15 million.
Even with lots of engineering at cost plus rates it would probably cheaper to have 8 New Glenn stages than one EUS…
However NASA decided not to go with BO (not via a competition, this was done before an RFP) as it would require the SLS to go through further rounds of wind tunnel and dynamic testing plus there would be modifications to the VAB and ground support equipment.
NASA decided that this would result in extra technical risk which would put the 2024 lunar landing at risk!
MartG said:
That clip reminds me of a Doom level - gargantuan engineering doing complex and inexplicable things. Contrast with SpaceX who have a crane and some nylon straps. Hardware for the second flight has started arriving
https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/first...
https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/first...
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