The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage for the Space Launch System being prepared for Artemis 2. Credit: NASA/Isaac Watson
WASHINGTON — NASA plans to fly the Space Launch System on Artemis 3 without an upper stage as the agency begins to define revised plans for the mission.
NASA, in a May 13 update on Artemis 3, said the SLS will launch with an inert “spacer” in place of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage on the mission. The spacer, being built at Marshall Space Flight Center, will have the same dimensions and interfaces as the ICPS.
The use of the spacer in place of the ICPS stems from changes to the mission announced in February. Artemis 3 was originally intended to be the first crewed lunar landing attempt of the overall Artemis lunar exploration campaign, but NASA announced Feb. 27 that the 2027 mission instead will remain in low Earth orbit to rendezvous with lunar lander prototypes being developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX.
NASA also announced at the same time that the agency would not develop the Block 1B version of the SLS, which would have used the larger Exploration Upper Stage in place of the ICPS. Since the ICPS, derived from the Delta 4 upper stage, is no longer in production, NASA announced March 6 it would instead use the Centaur upper stage currently used on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
