In r-spaceflight, builders are debating whether dropping EUS for Centaur V is a pragmatic shortcut or a long integration slog, with ML-2 delays and payload performance tradeoffs central to the argument.
Are there issues integrating Centaur V as the upper stage if SLS rather than EUS?
On other space subs about of people seem convinced that abandoning EUS is a massive mistake and Centaur V cannot be integrated as the upper stage without years and years of work.
Centaur V has been built and flown. Adapting it to SLS an existing upper stage will be easier than building and troubleshooting a new stage.
It requires ML-2 which is also over-budget and behind schedule.
It allows for a secondary payload or a significantly larger primary payload without crew. (105t to LEO and 42t to TLI)
This finding is one of many signals tracked across Space. The live feed updates every few hours with new expert voices, debates, and emerging ideas.
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