Aerospace Corp. Study Finds Delta IV Cheaper than Ares 1 For ISS Mission, But Could Add Two Years to Gap

Aviation Week and Space Technology provided details of an as-yet unreleased Aerospace Corp. study that evaluated using a human-rated version of the Delta IV evolved expendable launch vehicle instead of the Ares 1 now in development to take crews to and from the International Space Station. The study apparently did not look at launch vehicle architectures for later phases of the exploration program such as human return to the Moon or Mars.

According to Aviation Week, the study concluded that Delta IV’s could be upgraded to perform the ISS crew mission more cheaply than building Ares I, but could add 2 years or more to the existing 5-year gap when the United States will be dependent on Russia to launch astronauts to the ISS. The study was requested by NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. The study is expected to serve as input to the Augustine panel that is assessing options for NASA’s future human space flight program.