QuoteA Centaur III upper stage was offloaded at Cape Canaveral this morning after hitching a ride on ULA's Rocketship transport ship
A Centaur III upper stage was offloaded at Cape Canaveral this morning after hitching a ride on ULA's Rocketship transport ship
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 08/09/2023 06:38 pmQuoteA Centaur III upper stage was offloaded at Cape Canaveral this morning after hitching a ride on ULA's Rocketship transport shipNice picture and thanks for posting it, but why is this on the Artemis III thread? Centaur III is for the Atlas V, right?
A key piece of hardware for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the agency’s Artemis III mission is on its way to the Space Coast. The journey for the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) began in Decatur, Alabama, where crews with United Launch Alliance first boxed it for shipment July 29 then loaded it onto ULA’s “RocketShip” barge July 31. The barge will ferry the SLS flight hardware down the Mississippi River, into the Gulf of Mexico, then around the Florida peninsula to Cape Canaveral. Once it arrives at ULA’s facility in Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the ICPS will undergo final testing and checkouts ahead of the crewed Artemis III mission. The ICPS is the in-space propulsion stage of the SLS rocket, giving NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Artemis astronauts inside it the big push they need to journey all the way to the Moon for a lunar landing. The ICPS for Artemis III is the last of its kind as missions beginning with Artemis IV will use the SLS B1B configuration that includes the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage.Watch the SLS Upper Stage for Artemis III Roll on to the Space Coast
#ULARocketShip delivered the third Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (#ICPS) to Cape Canaveral to launch the #Artemis III astronauts out of Earth orbit for @NASA’s lunar exploration program 🌕✨Learn more:
ICPS-3: Upperstage that will propel Artemis III astronauts to the Moon arrives for processingAugust 11, 2023The rocket stage that will propel an astronaut crew out of Earth orbit on the first human voyage to the Moon’s South Pole has arrived at the launch site for processing prior to the Artemis III launch. ULA's unique cargo vessel used to transport rockets, known as the R/S RocketShip, delivered the third Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS-3) to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, for Artemis III in NASA's lunar exploration program. "ICPS-3 will help send astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft to the Moon for the first lunar landing in more than 50 years," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president Government and Commercial Programs. “ULA is proud to be taking these first steps with NASA as we embark on human launch beyond Earth orbit.” ICPS is built by ULA under a collaborative partnership with Boeing to serve as the upper stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. As the name implies, it is the interim upper stage solution for the first three launches until the Boeing-made Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is ready. The ICPS is based on the five-meter-diameter version of ULA's Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) that has flown 26 times on Delta IV missions since 2004 with 100 percent mission success. The ULA production team developed the ICPS-3 stage using the same factory tooling as the Delta IV line. Now that the final ICPS has shipped ULA is sunsetting the Delta IV capabilities as part of the factory transformation to support the Vulcan rocket. The ICPS features a slightly larger liquid hydrogen tank as compared to the Delta IV second stage, as well as electrical and mechanical interfaces specific to attaching and supporting the Orion spacecraft, and a second hydrazine bottle for additional attitude control propellant. The ICPS-3 for Artemis III also includes an Emergency Detection System (EDS) and other hardware changes specific to human safety. The stage feeds liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 main engine to produce 24,750 pounds (110.1 kilo-Newtons) of highly efficient thrust. The Artemis I ICPS performed nominally in its launch on Nov. 16, 2022, helping send the uncrewed Orion on its trip around the Moon. The Artemis II ICPS is complete and is in the Delta Operation Center (DOC) at Cape Canaveral for processing for future operations to launch a crewed Orion on a lunar test flight. The ICPS-3 stage on Artemis III will provide the trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn for the Orion spacecraft and its astronauts to set a flight path from Earth to the Moon.
The ICPS-3 upperstage arrives in Florida for processing. Photo by United Launch Alliance
Thought you guys might enjoy an 📦 Unboxing video, rocket style... Here's the #ICPS-3 upper stage that will propel #Artemis III astronauts out of Earth orbit on the first human voyage to the Moon’s South Pole! #ToryTimelapse
Checking in on the final ICPS to arrive at KSC, set for launch with SLS on Artemis III.Chris Calfee, NASA SLS deputy manager for the Spacecraft/Payload Integration and Evolution (SPIE) office, spoke with NSF's Philip Sloss.
Art and science merge as teams add the NASA “worm” logo on the SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters and the Orion spacecraft’s crew module adapter at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the agency’s Artemis II mission.The iconic logo was introduced in 1975 by the firm of Danne & Blackburn as a modern emblem for the agency. It emerged from a nearly 30-year retirement in 2020 for limited use on select missions and products.https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/kennedy/teams-add-iconic-nasa-worm-logo-to-artemis-ii-rocket-spacecraft/
As NASA works to develop all the systems needed to return astronauts to the Moon under its Artemis campaign for the benefit of all, the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will be responsible for launching astronauts on their journey. With the liquid oxygen tank now fully welded, all of the major structures that will form the core stage for the SLS rocket for the agency’s Artemis III mission are ready for additional outfitting. The hardware will be a part of the rocket used for the first of the Artemis missions planning to land astronauts on the Moon’s surface near the lunar South Pole. Technicians finished welding the 51-foot liquid oxygen tank structure inside the Vertical Assembly Building at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Jan. 8.https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esdmd/common-exploration-systems-development-division/space-launch-system/rocket-propellant-tanks-for-nasas-artemis-iii-mission-take-shape/
Rocket Propellant Tanks for NASA’s Artemis III Mission Take Shape All the major structures that will form the core stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency’s Artemis III mission are structurally complete. Technicians finished welding the 51-foot liquid oxygen tank structure, left, inside the Vertical Assembly Building at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Jan. 8. The liquid hydrogen tank, right, completed internal cleaning Nov. 14. Image credits: NASA/Michael DeMocker
Aug 25, 2024More Artemis II and Artemis III hardware is on the way to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will eventually launch, but the questions about how preparations are going and outstanding issues remain unresolved. The SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter for Artemis II and the Orion European Service Module for Artemis III are traveling by sea and should arrive at KSC in September.But when the next milestones in preparation for those two missions might occur are to be announced. This video runs through the hardware, the deliveries, and the questions that remain swirling about Artemis II and III.The potential for more delays to Artemis III led NASA to plan to extend the LVSA support contract through the rest of the decade if it comes to that, and I consider what that might mean here, too.Imagery is courtesy of NASA, except where noted.Stephen Clark's story for Ars Technica:https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/08/nasa-wants-clarity-on-orion-heat-shield-issue-before-stacking-artemis-ii-rocket/Jeff Foust's story for Space News:https://spacenews.com/sls-contract-extension-hints-at-additional-artemis-delays/00:00 Intro00:59 Artemis II LVSA begins shipment to KSC for launch05:13 Artemis II VAB preps continue...08:15 ...but SLS stacking schedule for Artemis II remains uncertain11:51 ESM-3 begins its shipment to KSC from Germany15:38 LVSA contract extension would enable support the rest of the decade20:14 Thanks for watching!
Sep 8, 2024The arrival this past week of new Orion and SLS flight hardware at Kennedy Space Center for Artemis II, III, and IV is a reminder of the uncertain launch schedule. This video covers those deliveries, of the Artemis II SLS Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter, Artemis II Orion European Service Module, and SLS Core Stage engine section hardware for Artemis III and IV.Artemis II is scheduled for launch only one year from this month, and most of the SLS hardware for Artemis II is now in and around the Vehicle Assembly Building. In this video, we also cover plans and preparations for the launch campaign in the second part of an interview with Exploration Ground Systems senior vehicle operations manager Cliff Lanham.Meanwhile, the next milestones for that newly-delivery hardware are known in general, but when those and other Artemis III milestones will happen is harder to see. We go over the cloudy forecast and other Artemis III takeaways from the late August NASA Advisory Council meeting here, too.Imagery is courtesy of NASA, except where noted.00:00 Intro02:13 A week of Orion and SLS flight hardware deliveries to KSC03:00 ESM-3 arrives in Orion final assembly at KSC04:21 Core Stage engine section hardware packaged for shipment at MAF06:45 Offloading SLS triple shipment from Pegasus at KSC09:12 EGS senior manager Cliff Lanham talks to the podcast about Artemis II launch plans10:13 Improving launch availability with contingency pad access capability18:36 Artemis II pad flow from rollout to launch20:35 Integrating the astronaut crew ingress of Orion into the launch countdown24:05 Artemis III takeaways from NASA Exploration public report in NASA Advisory Council meeting25:12 "At least" one uncrewed HLS lunar landing demonstration?25:53 Outlook for the future remains cloudy only two years from Artemis III launch date27:55 Thanks for watching!Chapters
Sep 15, 2024The wait for NASA's decision on the Orion heatshield continues and that will have a big impact on what comes next for Artemis II and III, but now there's another question for Artemis III, which is how big an effect will SpaceX's stance on the environment around their Texas launch site for Starship be for NASA's Exploration plans.This video covers that, the post-delivery activity on the Orion and SLS hardware at Kennedy Space Center, and more on Exploration Ground Systems readiness and plans to stack SLS for Artemis II.Imagery is courtesy of NASA, except where noted.00:00 Intro01:44 Next milestones for the recently delivered Artemis II, III, and IV hardware at KSC06:45 EGS senior manager Cliff Lanham talks to the podcast about Artemis II launch plans20:24 Another look at the Artemis II SLS Core Stage provided by NASA Admin Bill Nelson21:27 Starship IFT-5 delayed by environmental impact reviews24:52 Artemis II alternatives to consider if no NASA decision is forthcoming26:03 Thanks for watching!
Waiting for Artemis II Orion heatshield decision, Starship sidetracked by regulations power play?07:42 Artemis III Orion crew module adapter ahead of Service Module mate13:56 Artemis III big picture
