NASA and Boeing’s Huntsville operations have finalized a $3.2 billion contract for additional core and upper stages of future Space Launch System rockets, designed to take future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
Boeing is to produce SLS core stages for Artemis III and Artemis IV, procure critical materials for Artemis V and VI and provide exploration upper stages for those two missions and perform related work.
The contract allows NASA to order up to 10 core stages and 8 exploration upper stages.
“NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is the only rocket capable of sending large cargos and soon, astronauts, to the Moon,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager. “The SLS core stage is the backbone of NASA’s Moon rocket, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, and the addition of the exploration upper stage will enable NASA to support missions to deep space through the 2030s.”
The Artemis missions include landing humans on the Moon again, establishing moon exploration projects and preparing for deeper space exploration.
