It’s Finally Here! -- Assembly of NASA’s First SLS (Saturn V on Steroids) Begins at Kennedy Space Center

Posted by Guy Pirro | 07/26/2021 02:48PM | 2 Comments

It’s finally here! -- NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle that provides the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. The core stage of the SLS rocket has been delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, placed on the mobile launcher, and attached to the twin solid rocket boosters inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Serving as the backbone of the giant rocket, the core stage supports the weight of the payload, upper stage, and crew vehicle, and is the main structural element that bears the full thrust of its four powerful engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent and, coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Artemis I will be an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.