| First launch of the Space Launch System (SLS): Artemis I! 2021 ~ TBD Homepage Launch Photos The first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, 322 feet tall and the most powerful rocket in American history with 8.8 million pounds of thrust, will make its maiden launch sometime in 2021, sending NASA's Orion capsule on an uncrewed test flight around the moon. In these photos, the solid rocket booster segments for the mission arrive by train from Northrop Grumman in Promontory, Utah after a week-long journey by train. The SRBs for the SLS are space shuttle program boosters, but with an additional segment added to their length to provide more thrust. (Note: two cars, with red flatbeds, contain pathfinder segments for Northrop Grumman's first Omega rocket as well.) |
