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Flight Hardware for NASA’s Space Launch System on Its Way to Cape

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NASA

Feb 27, 2017
Image Article
The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System
The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket is on its way by barge to United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Operation Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is on its way by barge to United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Operation Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The ICPS is a liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen-based system that will provide the thrust needed to send the Orion spacecraft and 13 secondary payloads beyond the moon before Orion returns to Earth. It will be the first integrated piece of SLS hardware to arrive at the Cape and undergo final processing and testing before being moved to Ground Systems Development Operations at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The ICPS was designed and built by ULA in Decatur, Alabama, and The Boeing Co. in Huntsville, Alabama. When completed, SLS will be the most powerful rocket in the world for deep-space missions.

Image Credit: ULA