Abstract: A revitalized National Space Council has directed NASA to return to the moon, with a series of preparatory missions paving the way for eventual human exploration. NASA’s new deep space exploration system — the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion crew spacecraft and revitalized launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center — will enable NASA and its commercial and international partners to meet these goals for human deep space exploration. SLS will be the most capable launch vehicle …