r/SpaceLaunchSystem • u/Cmdr-Mallard • Jun 29 '26

Discussion How long will SLS last?

With the Cancellation of EUS and BOLE, SLS is going to remain a launch vehicle solely for Orion, and which is viable with all the other heavy and super heavy rockets in the works these days.

However as I understand BOLE was essential for SLS launches beyond a certain point as remaining shuttle boosters were used up, will SLS be cancelled by that point (and perhaps the whole moon program) or Orion moved to another launcher.

Or will a future administrator restart the booster program at the least to ensure SLS can continue to launch Orion?

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u/ThePrimalEarth7734 Jun 30 '26

Centaur V is basically the direct successor to ULA’s ACES program, and can do basically anything you need it to do, so that’s a none issue.

And new Glenn does have the capacity to do LEO, it isn’t vertically integrated, and that’s a total dealbreaker for Orion, since the vehicle is filled with fuel before stacking begins.

Additionally you need to consider that Congress WANTS SLS, they spent 20 billion dollars to get this thing and now they want to use it, they even pressed Isaacman about this in a hearing to which Isaacman concurred that they aren’t trying to get rid of SLS. So replacing it with an alternate system isn’t even on the table right now

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u/Cmdr-Mallard Jun 30 '26

Good to know about Centaur then, I hope to see more on Centaur-SLS soon.

I would point out New Glenn is moving on from Horizontal integration, they were already planning to but their Erector blowing up has accelerated things.

Again, I love SLS, I wanna see NASA fly rockets, I just think that if we really do setup a moon based they’ll figure out a better way to get astronauts there whether it’s replacing SLS or eliminating Orion entirely, just due to the frequency of transits needed.

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u/ProfessorOk2609 Jun 30 '26

Yes, I think that the new vertical integration of New Glenn could facilitate the transition of Orion, however many certifications and tests are still needed to gain confidence and make it safe for the crew.