NASA not to fly humans on first SLS rocket launch

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New Delhi: US space agency NASA will will not fly astronauts on the first flight of the Space launch system (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

In February, NASA began an effort looking at the feasibility of putting crew aboard the first launch of the SLS rocket and Orion - for its Exploration Mission-1, or EM-1.

After weighing the data and assessing all implications, the NASA will continue pursuing the original plan for the first launch, as a rigorous flight test of the integrated systems without crew, the US space agency said.

NASA will also adjust the target launch date for the EM-1 mission to 2019, and will execute its normal process in the coming weeks to determine an official revised launch date.

Engineers will apply insights gained from the effort to the first flight test and the integrated systems to strengthen the long-term push to extend human presence deeper into the solar system.

NASA said it is technically capable of launching crew on EM-1, however, after evaluating cost, risk and technical factors in a project of this magnitude, it would be difficult to accommodate changes needed to add crew at this point in mission planning.

The agency confirmed that the baseline plan to fly EM-1 without crew is still the best approach to enable humans to move sustainably beyond low Earth orbit.

(With PTI inputs)