nortex97 said:

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Boeing proposes…SLS for Mars sample return mission…in response to Nasa seeking a lower cost option. Seriously.

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Green did not offer a budget estimate for the Boeing concept, which he said still must undergo a cost analysis.

With lower-cost super heavy-lift rockets on the horizon, it seems like the Space Launch System has a finite shelf life. Using the SLS is probably the best chance NASA has to fly astronauts to the Moon in this decade, but by the 2030s, large reusable launchers like SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn should be flying regularly.

SpaceX's Starship, mostly developed with private funding, is the vehicle Elon Musk says will send people to Mars. Sending Starship beyond low-Earth orbit will require the mastery of in-space refueling, something SpaceX and NASA are working on together because the agency selected Starship as the first human-rated lunar lander for the Artemis program.

Abraham Maslow's axiom"if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail"rings true with Boeing and the Space Launch System. Boeing pushed for NASA to use the SLS rocket to launch the Europa Clipper mission to explore one of Jupiter's icy moons. Ultimately, NASA decided on a launch aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket later this year at a fraction of the cost.

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On ship 31 during the cryo testing above, apparently the raceway burst open;

The raceway burst open at the location the flash came from. pic.twitter.com/kJ6dFIWTuP

— Redstone (@TheRedstoneHive) May 13, 2024

I haven't seen/read any informed speculation, so take this with a grain of salt, but I would suspect something got 'wet' that shouldn't from condensation build up (whose job is electrical) and then it fried out/burst. Again this is just my uninformed speculation but I'd guess they can repair this fairly quickly, and June launch is still plausible. I also think they have a few more upper stages built which could sub in for 31 if they want.

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"I am growing concerned with ULA's ability to scale manufacturing of its Vulcan rocket and scale its launch cadence to meet our needs," he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post. "Currently there is military satellite capability sitting on the ground due to Vulcan delays."...

ULA originally won 60 percent of the Pentagon's national security payloads under the current contract, known as Phase 2. SpaceX won an award for the remaining 40 percent, but it has been flying its reusable Falcon 9 rocket at a much higher rate. ULA launched only three rockets last year, as it transitions to Vulcan; SpaceX launched almost 100, mostly to put up its Starlink internet satellite constellation. Both are now competing for the next round of Pentagon contracts, a highly competitive procurement worth billions of dollars over several years.

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SpaceX won an award for the remaining 40 percent, but it has been flying its reusable Falcon 9 rocket at a much higher rate.

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The Air Force seems to think United Launch Alliance may not meet its commitments to launch military satellites by 2027. https://t.co/c1H7uVt8AX

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) May 13, 2024

Boeing confirms Starliner's CFT launch is now May 21. The Centaur valve was replaced, but a helium leak was spotted on Starliner's Service Module.https://t.co/N2utUjE67S

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) May 14, 2024

ChemAg15 said:

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Imagine being the guinea pig that's riding to space on the perpetually delayed rocket. How much confidence can you have?

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