An expanded view of an artist rendering of the 130-metric-ton configuration of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., shows the many different elements of the rocket design. Used primarily to launch heavy cargo, this two-stage vehicle will be the largest rocket ever built and will enable exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit, supporting travel to asteroids, Mars and other deep space destinations.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC
(Artist concept updated Oct. 20, 2015)