NASA's Space Launch System: Exceptional Opportunities for Secondary Payloads to Deep Space

Abstract

When NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) launches for the first time from Kennedy Space Center, it will send the Orion crew vehicle farther into space than a human-rated spacecraft has ever traveled. The primary objectives of this first uncrewed mission, Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), focus on verifying and validating the new technologies and integrated systems developed for SLS, Orion and Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), which together comprise NASA's new deep space exploration system. EM-1 also provides the opportunity for 13 6U CubeSat secondary payloads to be deployed in deep space. As progress is being made toward that first launch, planning is also taking place for secondary payload opportunities on future missions. This paper will provide an overview of the status of the SLS Block 1 launch vehicle and an overview of the 6U payloads selected for EM-1. In addition, an overview of the EM-1 mission trajectories and the "bus stops" along the trajectory where the payloads will be deployed will be noted. Challenges and new workflows required in identifying and certifying potential payloads will be discussed. The paper will also discuss opportunities that will be presented by future evolutions of SLS.

Lunar Flashlight: Illuminating the Lunar South Pole

“…Lunar Flashlight and the other Artemis-1 secondary payloads will be launched within a secondary payload deployment system (SPDS) mounted in the Orion Stage Adapter of the Block-1 SLS [19]. Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems will integrate each payload into a Planetary Systems Corporation dispenser and deliver it for integration into the SPDS.…”

Expanding Interplanetary Transfer Opportunities from Geostationary Transfer Orbits via Earth Synchronous Orbits

“…A further example is given by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which plans to carry 13 nano-satellites together with the Artemis I Orion spacecraft to the Moon [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. This mission includes JAXA's Earth-Moon libration point orbiter EQUULEUS and the world's smallest lunar lander OMOTENASHI as piggyback spacecraft [12].…”