The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for the second flight of NASA’s Space
Launch System (SLS) rocket arrived in Florida on July 28 for the final phase
of production. The stage and its single RL10 engine provide the in-space
propulsion needed to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft and its crew on a precise
trajectory to the Moon for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s
Artemis lunar missions. It is the first piece of the rocket for the Artemis
II flight to arrive in Florida. Boeing and United Launch Alliance, the
contractor team for the stage, shipped the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion
Stage from ULA’s facilities in Decatur, Alabama, to its Delta IV Operation
Center at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The stage will undergo final
processing and checkout before it is transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center for launch preparations.
With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color
on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in
preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft,
along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit
around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the
only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a
single mission.
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