‘S’ in SLS could stand for ‘science’ for Exploration Mission 1

Joe Latrell

Mockup of the CubeSats that will fly on NASA’s Space Launch System as part of Exploration Mission 1. Photo Credit: Scott Johnson / SpaceFlight Insider

One of the criticisms of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) has been the lack of science missions planned for the super-heavy-lift launch vehicle. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, NASA worked to address those concerns with the announcement of the Science and Technology missions that have been chosen for the first SLS flight – Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1).

As well as an uncrewed Orion spacecraft, the inaugural flight in 2018 of NASA’s new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), will have on board 13 CubeSats to test out innovative ideas.

These secondary payloads of CubeSats will conduct science and technology investigations of deep space and serve as pathfinders for future human exploration in journeys to Mars and beyond. The first flight of the SLS, EM-1, will provide a rare opportunity for sending these small experiments toward destinations in deep space because most launch opportunities for CubeSats are restricted to low-Earth orbit.

“The 13 CubeSats that will fly to deep space as secondary payloads aboard SLS on EM-1 showcase the intersection of science and technology, and advance our journey to Mars,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman.

The SLS is NASA’s next generation launch vehicle. It is derived from a combination of legacy hardware designs from the Space Shuttle era and new technologies created to increase safety and reliability. The system is composed of two solid boosters and a new liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen core that uses 4 RS-25 engines – the same engines used on the shuttle orbiters. The SLS can launch the Orion space capsule into Earth orbit, cislunar space, or send payloads to Mars and beyond.

The secondary payloads announced at the event are CubeSats – small form factor satellites that pack a lot of science into a very small space. They were chosen via announcements of flight opportunities, a public contest and through negotiations with NASA partners.

One of the announced missions is NEA Scout (Near-Earth Asteroid Scout) – a CubeSat that will use solar sail propulsion to reach a near-Earth asteroid. This CubeSat will demonstrate the solar sail capabilities as well as take measurements of the asteroid for future manned missions.

NASA also selected two payloads through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement:

Skyfire – Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver, Colorado, will develop a CubeSat to perform a lunar flyby of the Moon, taking sensor data during the flyby to enhance our knowledge of the lunar surface.

Lunar IceCube – Morehead State University, Kentucky, will build a CubeSat to search for water ice and other resources at a low orbit of only 62 miles above the surface of the Moon.

Three payloads were selected by NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate:

Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, or NEA Scout , will perform reconnaissance of an asteroid, take pictures, and observe its position in space.

, will perform reconnaissance of an asteroid, take pictures, and observe its position in space. BioSentinel will use yeast to detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation on living organisms over long durations in deep space.

will use yeast to detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation on living organisms over long durations in deep space. Lunar Flashlight will look for ice deposits and identify locations where resources may be extracted from the lunar surface.

Two payloads were selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate:

CuSP – a “space weather station” to measure particles and magnetic fields in space, testing practicality for a network of stations to monitor space weather.

– a “space weather station” to measure particles and magnetic fields in space, testing practicality for a network of stations to monitor space weather. LunaH-Map will map hydrogen within craters and other permanently shadowed regions throughout the Moon’s south pole.

The primary goal of the first integrated launch of the SLS will be to demonstrate the capability of the SLS/Orion system to launch future crewed missions.

NASA plans to use the SLS for missions beyond low-Earth orbit including a near asteroid mission. Eventually, the agency plans to use SLS and Orion for the long trek to Mars and back.

Video Courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Center