SLS Block 1

NASA / Boeing

NASA's Space Launch System — the most powerful rocket currently flying, designed to send Artemis crews back to the Moon.

The Space Launch System (SLS) is NASA's super heavy-lift rocket, the spiritual successor to Saturn V. Its core stage uses four RS-25 engines originally flown on the Space Shuttle, augmented by two five-segment solid rocket boosters derived from the Shuttle SRBs. SLS Block 1 flew its first mission, Artemis I, in November 2022, sending an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon. Artemis II will carry the first crew — including the first woman and first person of colour to fly to the Moon.

Fun facts

SLS uses the same RS-25 engines that powered the Space Shuttle — engines that have already been to space dozens of times.

The SLS core stage is 65 metres tall and uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen — producing an eerie blue flame at ignition.

Artemis I flew 1.4 million km from Earth, further than any spacecraft designed to carry humans since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Height

98 m

Diameter

8.4 m

Mass

2,610 t

Stages

Thrust