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Science / Technology

NASA Considers Using a Commercial Rocket For Upcoming Trip Around The Moon

WASHINGTON: NASA is considering using a commercial rocket to launch its Orion crew capsule around the Moon next year, instead of the agency’s future multibillion-dollar Space Launch System (SLS).

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine floated the idea for the first time today during a Senate hearing. The change may occur, as it becomes increasingly likely that the SLS may not be ready to fly the crew capsule by June 2020.

Bridenstine argued that NASA needs to stick to its commitment of sending the Orion crew capsule around the Moon by next year. One way to do that would be using a rocket other than the SLS. “We need to consider, as an agency, all options to accomplish that objective,” Bridenstine said during the hearing. “Some of those options would include launching the Orion crew capsule… on a commercial rocket.”

NASA has long planned to send the Orion crew capsule on a three-week trip around the Moon on a mission dubbed Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1.

The flight is meant to serve as the debut launch of the SLS, which has been in development for the last decade and will be the most powerful rocket available when it’s finished.

But the target date for EM-1 has been consistently delayed due to technical challenges and cost overruns with the rocket. At one point, NASA targeted 2017 for the flight, but the agency is now working toward June 2020.

Recently, NASA officials admitted that they are reassessing the 2020 date since the rocket probably won’t be ready to fly next year either.

This expected date change was something that Bridenstine mentioned during today’s Senate hearing, which addressed how the US could maintain its dominance in space.

“We’re now understanding better how difficult this project is and that it is going to take some additional time,” he said, regarding the SLS development.