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deep space rocket passes key milestone 



next-generation rocket, a behemoth of a booster expected to launch astronauts deeper into space than ever before, has passed a major design milestone, space agency officials announced Wednesday


00.54am


The new mega-rocket, called the Space Launch System, passed a series of reviews that laid out the technical, performance and schedule requirements for the heavy-lift booster. The completion of the so-called System Requirements Review and System Definition Review allows program managers to proceed into the rocket's preliminary design phase

he rocket is being designed to carry out the agency's future human space exploration goals, such as sending astronauts to visit an asteroid or other planets ...