SLS Program working on accelerating EUS development timeline

[woods170]

There’s a clever observation in the comments section of that article regarding the accompanying picture and how many people it takes to cut a ribbon.  Made me laugh.

You mean the one below?

[VSECOTSPE]

You mean the one below?

Yeah.  Juvenile and not technically accurate since not all those folks are from Boeing.  But still got my funny bone.

[eeergo]

The EUS production area at MAF has been inaugurated after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday:
https://spacenews.com/boeing-opens-sls-eus-production-facility/
Interestingly it sprawls in the area formerly dedicated to building... LNG storage tanks 

STA still predicted to be complete within 1H2023, so in a few months' time. The subsequent static firings at Stennis, currently penciled in at at least two, should also commence this year then. Certification complete in early 2024?

emphasis mine

That seems to be at odds with the article.

From the article:
"After completing welding tests, Boeing will produce an EUS structural test article that will then be tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Steve Snell, Boeing EUS program manager, said that structural test article should be done in the first half of 2024."

xxxxxxxxxxx

I'm surprised that 2 Core Stages and 2 EUS is a goal.  I think they'd be doing well if they reached 1 of each per year.

Yes, it is at odds with what is written in the article. NO WAY that Boeing can build the STA (they have yet to start construction) in just a few months time. The article clearly suggests that the STA will finish construction, ready for testing at Marshall, in the first half of 2024.

Yep, I clearly misread, apologies for the confusion. Makes more sense now, I corrected my statement adding a year to the dates mentioned.

[woods170]

The EUS production area at MAF has been inaugurated after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday:
https://spacenews.com/boeing-opens-sls-eus-production-facility/
Interestingly it sprawls in the area formerly dedicated to building... LNG storage tanks 

STA still predicted to be complete within 1H2023, so in a few months' time. The subsequent static firings at Stennis, currently penciled in at at least two, should also commence this year then. Certification complete in early 2024?

emphasis mine

That seems to be at odds with the article.

From the article:
"After completing welding tests, Boeing will produce an EUS structural test article that will then be tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Steve Snell, Boeing EUS program manager, said that structural test article should be done in the first half of 2024."

xxxxxxxxxxx

I'm surprised that 2 Core Stages and 2 EUS is a goal.  I think they'd be doing well if they reached 1 of each per year.

Yes, it is at odds with what is written in the article. NO WAY that Boeing can build the STA (they have yet to start construction) in just a few months time. The article clearly suggests that the STA will finish construction, ready for testing at Marshall, in the first half of 2024.

Yep, I clearly misread, apologies for the confusion. Makes more sense now, I corrected my statement adding a year to the dates mentioned.

Based on the information in the article it is clear that completion of the first EUS flight article will be at least one year behind completion of the EUS STA. So, sometime around mid-2025. The EUS Green Run will be sometime after that. Late 2025 or early 2026 IMO.

[oldAtlas_Eguy]

The EUS production area at MAF has been inaugurated after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday:
https://spacenews.com/boeing-opens-sls-eus-production-facility/
Interestingly it sprawls in the area formerly dedicated to building... LNG storage tanks 

STA still predicted to be complete within 1H2023, so in a few months' time. The subsequent static firings at Stennis, currently penciled in at at least two, should also commence this year then. Certification complete in early 2024?

emphasis mine

That seems to be at odds with the article.

From the article:
"After completing welding tests, Boeing will produce an EUS structural test article that will then be tested at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Steve Snell, Boeing EUS program manager, said that structural test article should be done in the first half of 2024."

xxxxxxxxxxx

I'm surprised that 2 Core Stages and 2 EUS is a goal.  I think they'd be doing well if they reached 1 of each per year.

Yes, it is at odds with what is written in the article. NO WAY that Boeing can build the STA (they have yet to start construction) in just a few months time. The article clearly suggests that the STA will finish construction, ready for testing at Marshall, in the first half of 2024.

Yep, I clearly misread, apologies for the confusion. Makes more sense now, I corrected my statement adding a year to the dates mentioned.

Based on the information in the article it is clear that completion of the first EUS flight article will be at least one year behind completion of the EUS STA. So, sometime around mid-2025. The EUS Green Run will be sometime after that. Late 2025 or early 2026 IMO.

Just to add the difference between a STA and a flight article. A flight article has engines, piping, electrical harnesses, avionics boxes, batteries, RCS and RCS propellant tanks, and then also the hardware to do the stage separations. To allocate only 6 months for the highest workload tasks than that of 12 months for structural build is ...

Will be lucky to get green run by end of year 2026.

[woods170]

Based on the information in the article it is clear that completion of the first EUS flight article will be at least one year behind completion of the EUS STA. So, sometime around mid-2025. The EUS Green Run will be sometime after that. Late 2025 or early 2026 IMO.

Just to add the difference between a STA and a flight article. A flight article has engines, piping, electrical harnesses, avionics boxes, batteries, RCS and RCS propellant tanks, and then also the hardware to do the stage separations. To allocate only 6 months for the highest workload tasks than that of 12 months for structural build is ...

Will be lucky to get green run by end of year 2026.

Hey, I was being optimistic! 
But I agree with you.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1651645056011345933

Nelson avoids an international incident by correcting an earlier comment: the delay in the Exploration Upper Stage is due to Boeing, not the European Space Agency.

[XRZ.YZ]

Weld Confidence Articles (WCAs) for EUS have started, with one completed in April 2023. Five WCAs remain

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/nac_may_2023_moon_to_mars_final_5-12-23.pdf
page 18

[ulm_atms]

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1651645056011345933

Nelson avoids an international incident by correcting an earlier comment: the delay in the Exploration Upper Stage is due to Boeing, not the European Space Agency.

Well there is a shocker....

Is it my imagination or is Boeing pretty much the reason for most of the HSF delays lately, or at least everything they have to do with HSF?

[Vahe231991]

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1651645056011345933

Nelson avoids an international incident by correcting an earlier comment: the delay in the Exploration Upper Stage is due to Boeing, not the European Space Agency.

Well there is a shocker....

Is it my imagination or is Boeing pretty much the reason for most of the HSF delays lately, or at least everything they have to do with HSF?

Boeing recently opened a factory for producing the EUS, but I'm not sure what delay in the EUS by Boing is being alluded to in the tweet.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://flic.kr/p/2pmA42Q

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA Stennis Continues Preparations for Future Artemis Testing

Crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center cleared a milestone Dec. 11, installing a key component in preparation for future Green Run testing of NASA’s new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) vehicle for use on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.
 
Four large diffusers, each weighing 14 tons, were lifted by crane for installation on the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2). The diffusers are a critical component designed to help direct engine exhaust away from the EUS during hot fire testing to minimize heat exposure to sensitive vehicle systems.
 
Image credit: NASA/Danny Nowlin

[yg1968]

https://twitter.com/boeingspace/status/1759986341348049045