What Next for Ares-1 Development? Y 2013

The Ares 1x development flight last week from the Kennedy Space Center has raised a number of space policy issues and intensive debate within the commercial and civil space sectors. Many within the civil space sector desire to proceed with the development of the varied design steps while many within the NewSpace commercial movement seek to delete the Ares 1 booster all together. The final decisions make take months at the presidential decision-making level with so many other policy issues consuming Obama's time.

Meanwhile, the Ares 1 development schedule continues with the next step of testing set for the spring of 2010 in the southern New Mexico desert of White Sands where a launch abort system will be tested in-flight with Orbital Sciences Corporation as the contractor. There was an alternative Max Launch Abort System design tested at Wallops Island, Virginia earlier this year [view].

The next test after the launch abort would be the Ares I-Y in 2013, which would test an almost complete Ares I design, including the solid rocket booster, the Huntsville-developed avionics, the upper stage rocket and the Johnson Space Center-managed Orion crew capsule. Only the Marshall-developed J-2X upper stage engine would not be ready in time, and NASA managers are pondering if another type of engine is needed just for this planned test.