NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) reached two significant milestones in recent days, and in doing so, it has put the agency firmly back in the race to Mars. The agency has announced that all work platforms outside the launch vehicle have now been installed. This is seen as being a huge achievement, considering that only one platform had been installed a year ago. The other milestone relates to the fact that the rocket itself has now been endorsed as well by a group of privately owned space companies.
In 2011, it was estimated the SLS would cost around $18 billion by 2017. It is what NASA describes as its heavy-lift vehicle designed specifically for taking astronauts beyond low-earth orbit initially, and then finally, on to Mars. If everything goes according to plan, the first launch should take place in November 2018. The program is not without its critics, however, not least because of the costs involved, with many people arguing that private companies such as SpaceX could build and launch for considerably less.
For more info see: https://www.rt.com/usa/376877-space-launch-system-endorsement/
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