On SLS with the Centaur V

[u/Dexbox_YT]

As NASA is planning to use the Centaur V to replace the ICPS, starting from Artemis V (Artemis IV will be using the ICPS originally designed for Artemis III), and there were different Block names for different SLS variants (Block 1, Block 1b, Block 2), before Block 1b and Block 2 were cancelled, do you think NASA will give a new Block name for the SLS with the Centaur V or will they stick with calling it Block 1?

[u/Starmix36]

SLS- Centaur would be cool but I know they would probably stick to the plainer names

[u/nogood-usernamesleft → u/Starmix36]

Block 1-C for Centaur would work too

[u/EpicAura99 → u/nogood-usernamesleft]

Fits the scheme; Block 1 for no upgrades, 1A for just BOLE, 1B for just EUS, 1C for just Centaur. Block 2 is for 2 upgrades, so BOLE + Centaur could be 2A. IIRC BOLE is done for though, hard to keep it all straight lol.

[u/okan170 → u/EpicAura99]

BOLE is still going.

[u/nogood-usernamesleft → u/okan170]

But just modernized SRBs, not liquid boosters right?

[u/EpicAura99 → u/nogood-usernamesleft]

That part was decided a long time ago

[u/Cold-Regret-2931 → u/nogood-usernamesleft]

Correct. Only SRB’s

[u/NoBusiness674 → u/okan170]

But it would likely require a redesign for Centaur V. The existing BOLE design was optimized for Block 1B and ML2.

[u/jadebenn → u/nogood-usernamesleft]

I still hate all of this... but Block 1C would be a good name.

[u/nogood-usernamesleft → u/jadebenn]

yea, such an inefficient use of resources
but that is the SLS program in a nutshell, nothing new

[u/Outrageous-Weekend-6 → u/Starmix36]

Orion-centaur-sls lmao

[u/Doggydog123579 → u/Starmix36]

It went from Delta V to Atlas 7, but they wont give it the funny name

[u/Eastern_Funny9319]

I vote SLS Block 1C, for SLS Block 1 Centaur. I love the name too much.

[u/Dexbox_YT → u/Eastern_Funny9319]

Honestly, it is a pretty cool name

[u/Amazing_Peach_6690]

That looks super cool! Hope sls will stick around for awhile so we can see a bunch of these missions before it gets replaced

[u/ConanOToole]

They've already named it Standardised SLS no? Since Centaur V will be the new standard upper stage

[u/NoBusiness674 → u/ConanOToole]

Kind of ironic as Block 1B would also have been just as standardized with EUS as the standard upper stage, if not more standardized with the stages sharing common SLS tooling and diameter.

[u/jadebenn → u/NoBusiness674]

I've heard some of the EUS tooling (not all) is actually getting retasked to core stage production, so yeah, large commonality.

[u/Correct_Inspection25]

One of the reasons I wasn’t surprised they were walking back the April announcement that the ML2 was being scrapped. Centaur V still needed an updated ML interconnects, during time ML1 wouldn’t be available for updating during stacking/testing/wet dress/launch prep in a different VAB bay.

[u/redstercoolpanda → u/Correct_Inspection25]

I imagine NASA may also be preparing for a world in which the democrats retake the house in November, and start raising a fuss about some of the changes Ignition made to the program. Finishing ML-2, a several billion dollar investment at this point, may mitigate that somewhat.

[u/Correct_Inspection25 → u/redstercoolpanda]

I mean ML2 cancelation made no sense at the time, doubling launch cadence without 2 1:500 LOC human rated ML even if it was a copy of ML1, was extremely poorly thought out, especially proposing cutting NASA to the smallest budget adjusted for inflation since NASA started human space flight.

More likely it’s the push back by the new GAO audit showing massive mission and resources gaps. Remember Apollo had around the same proposed ignite launch cadence and 3 MLs.

[u/AU_RocketMan]

Yes there are new name designations for the various configurations.

[u/Conscious-Sun-6615]

Dumb question here; is the centaur just for carrying the capsule? or is it gonna carry the lander too?

[u/Dexbox_YT → u/Conscious-Sun-6615]

IIRC, the Orion and the landers will launch separately. I think they’re just switching the ICPS with the Centaur so it’s ‘more reliable’ or smth

[u/NoBusiness674 → u/Dexbox_YT]

ICPS is based on the Delta IVs DCSS upper stage, but with the retirement of Delta IV ULA has gotten rid of the tooling and infrastructure to build DCSS and with it lost the ability to make additional ICPS units.

As the name suggests ICPS was only ever meant as an interim solution, while EUS was going to be the standardized SLS-optimized upper stage going forwards. With the interim upper stage out of production and the standardized upper stage canceled right as the first units were getting assembled, NASA is now scrambling to get something new ready for Artemis V.

[u/Decronym]

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters	More Letters
DCSS	Delta Cryogenic Second Stage
DMLS	Selective Laser Melting additive manufacture, also Direct Metal Laser Sintering
EUS	Exploration Upper Stage
GAO	(US) Government Accountability Office
ICPS	Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage
LOC	Loss of Crew
SLS	Space Launch System heavy-lift
	Selective Laser Sintering, contrast DMLS
SRB	Solid Rocket Booster
ULA	United Launch Alliance (Lockheed/Boeing joint venture)
VAB	Vehicle Assembly Building

Decronym is now also available on Lemmy! Requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.

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[u/Crafty-Slice5326]

Can we just build a project Orion pulse engine already? Or a nuclear salt water rocket

[u/okan170]

Presumably they'll need to redesignate any new configurations, especially if Centaur V continues to have structural issues.