The SLS Saga: 2022 Mid-Year Project Update
SLS being rolled out at the Kennedy Space Center in March 2022 (Courtesy of NASA)
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin”
***2022’s midyear update on the SLS Program. For additional posts, please visit the SLS Saga microsite here.***
2021 was a banner year for the commercial space sector—highlighted by the fact that three different launch companies conducted their inaugural space tourism flights. However, for our old friend, the Space Launch System (“SLS”), 2021 was another year of delays. But still, progress was made and we are now precipitously close to the first launch of this NASA mega rocket. And so as an annual tradition for #TheSpaceBar blog, here’s the latest significant developments since our last update as a part of my SLS Saga series.
First Arrival at Launch Site (March 2022)
In March, the SLS rocket finally arrived at its final destination prior to launch: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After being fully stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building, the SLS rocket then took a 10 hours and 28 minutes long journey to Launchpad 39B—its blast-off point for the Artemis-1 mission. While the SLS Program has experienced significant budget overrun and development delays, it was still quite remarkable to see the SLS rocket standing fully assembled and upright at its launch site. With its iconic orange core stage reminding many of the last NASA-designed rocket system—the Space Shuttle—the SLS rocket is now finally edging toward the precipice of launch into Outer Space.
Fueling Delays (May 2022)
But before its launch for the Artemis-1 mission, the SLS rocket still need to perform a successful wet dress rehearsal. During this test, the rocket will be completely fueled up on the launchpad and go through a series of checklists, including a simulated countdown. Although this test should have been completed by early April, several problems were discovered during the fueling process. These issues included a leak in one of the connector lines between the rocket and the launch tower as well as a stuck valve. So a process that should have been wrapped up in a few days ended up with the SLS rocket being rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. However, it appears that NASA has corrected all of these issues and is projecting to roll the rocket back out to the launchpad on June 9th and finish SLS’s wet dress rehearsal on its fourth try in mid-June.
Artemis-1 Being Pushed Back (May 2022)
With NASA encountering these difficulties during SLS’s final first flight preparations, it is increasingly likely that Artemis-1 will not be launching this year. Already ruling out any dates before this July, NASA is still holding out hope that the rocket can be launched around the August to September time frame. However this appears to be unlikely with the agency recently disclosing several launch dates for early 2023 as well. Depending on the final settled launch date, Artemis-1 could be a shorter mission lasting somewhere between 26-28 days or a longer expedition lasting 38-42 days. SLS’s calendar of possible launch dates is constrained by several factors including the lunar cycle, orbital mechanics, as well as projected weather conditions for its capsule’s day of return. Further complicating this schedule is the fact that SLS’s launchpad operations can only sustain three fueling attempts each week.
SLS Flight Costs Revealed (March 2022)
But SLS’s future viability will depend on much more than just the success of Artemis-1. In order for the SLS Program to be competitive, the rocket must be able to achieve a per-launch cost that is similar to the price that commercial operators are charging for their rocket launches. While it has been hard to gauge how financially competitive the SLS rocket would be against privately-developed rockets, NASA has finally shed some light on SLS’s per-launch cost. In his testimonial to Congress, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin noted that each SLS launch will cost about $4.1 billion. This figure includes $2.2 billion for the SLS rocket, $1 billion for the capsule, $568 million for ground-based infrastructure and equipment, and $300 million for the capsule’s service module. However, this figure does not amortize in the SLS development costs and is far greater than the $2 billion per-launch goal that NASA originally set.
Europa Clipper Decoupled (July 2021)
Likely because of these cost and delay issues, the Europa Clipper mission was officially moved off of the SLS rocket when NASA offered the mission to SpaceX. This decision ended years of uncertainty for this Jupiter project as NASA was stuck between trying to use a rocket that might not be ready and satisfying Congress’s SLS rocket mandate for the Europa Clipper mission. But, Congress finally relented in 2021 when it allowed NASA to consider using an alternative vehicle to fulfill the 2025 timeline for Europa Clipper’s launch. This setback for the SLS Program will likely further cement SpaceX’s Outer Space transportation reputation. To satisfy the $178 million Europa Clipper transport contract, SpaceX is looking to launch the $4.25 billion Europa Clipper on top of its Falcon Heavy. Rather than SLS’s direct-to-Jupiter trajectory, the Falcon Heavy is instead expected to rely on the orbital mechanics of Mars and Earth to successfully deliver the clipper to its final destination.
CubeSats Set for Artemis-1 (August 2021)
Shifting to a more positive development for Artemis-1, most of the CubeSats that were slotted to ride-along with the maiden voyage of the SLS rocket have been installed in Artemis-1’s Orion stage adapter. However, four of the selected mini satellites were not ready by the end of the integration window late last year and will miss this flight. These four CubeSats are:
Lunar Flashlight: this satellite’s objective is to locate water-ice deposits on the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters. Jointly managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lunar Flashlight will instead launch with Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C flight instead.
CU-E3: this satellite’s mission is to test out custom-built technologies for deep space communications. Built by University of Colorado at Boulder, CU-E3 is now looking for a new launch provider.
The Twin Cislunar Explorers: these two CubeSats were designed to test out the feasibility of water electrolysis as a means of propulsion. Managed by Cornell University, the twin CubeSats are also looking for a new ride into Outer Space.
Additional SLS Boosters (December 2021)
While the first SLS rocket is getting ready for its maiden flight, NASA is already planning for future SLS missions. To that end, Northrop Grumman was awarded an up-to-$3.19 billion contract for producing SLS boosters for Artemis Missions 4-8. This Booster Production and Operations Contract will also include funding for a project that will develop and produce a new version of the booster for Artemis 9. The new design is expected to reduce the weight of the boosters by using a lighter composite material. Helping to defy the rocket equation, the lighter boosters should increase SLS’s payload size by at least 3 metric tons. As a secondary goal, Northrop Grumman is also looking to eventually reduce the cost of these boosters by 25 to 50 percent.
