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Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV)
NASA has selected ATK to be the prime contractor
to design, develop, and produce the first-stage propulsion system
for the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle. The first stage is a single,
five-segment reusable solid rocket booster derived from the Space
Shuttle solid rocket motors developed and produced by
ATK. ATK will also build the launch abort system for the Orion
Crew Exploration Vehicle that sits atop the Ares I vehicle.
The Ares I is the essential core
of a safe, reliable space transportation
system — one
that will carry crewed missions back to the moon, on to Mars,
and out into the solar system. The rocket may also use its 29-ton
payload capacity to deliver resources and supplies to the International
Space Station, or to park payloads in orbit for retrieval by
other spacecraft bound for the moon or other destinations.
The first test flight of the Ares I is scheduled for 2009. Crew
transportation to the International Space Station is planned
to begin no later than 2014. The first lunar excursion is scheduled
for the 2020 timeframe.
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