NASA's next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) passed a major review hurdle this week that could position the heavy-lift rocket for a test flight in 2017 and eventually status as the launch vehicle for the space agency's Orion spacecraft on deep space missions.

The SLS will "provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit," NASA said in a statement announcing the rocket's successful navigation of an independent review board's evaluation of technical, performance, cost, and schedule requirements for its design and manufacture.

"This new heavy-lift launch vehicle will make it possible for explorers to reach beyond our current limits, to nearby asteroids, Mars and its moons, and to destinations even farther across our solar system," said NASA associate administrator William Gerstenmaier.

The review board confirmed the SLS program's integration with the future Orion spacecraft, NASA's next-generation Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) with room onboard for four astronauts. Orion is being designed for trips that would take humans further into space than ever beforebeyond the Moon to Mars and even the asteroid belt. Those missions are expected to commence no earlier than 2020.

SLS program directors will now take the rocket to the design phase. The board selected six rocket designs for this phase, including three from Huntsville, Ala.-based Dynetics, according to Ala.com. The other design proposals come from Northrop Grumman, Aerojet General, and ATK Launch Systems. Only one design will win out but NASA expects to shell out $200 million on demonstrations for all six designs, Ala.com reported.

The program was initiated just 10 months ago, around the time that NASA was ending its storied space shuttle programan end of an era for the agency that also meant it would no longer have the capability to launch humans into space. Since retiring the shuttle fleet, NASA has relied on the Russian space agency to ferry its astronauts to the International Space Station, while handing off ISS supply runs to the Russians, the European and Japanese space agencies, and even to a privately held company, SpaceX.

NASA is aiming for an SLS booster configured with a 77-ton lift capacity for the first test flight about four years from now. Future three-stage SLS boosters will be capable of lifting 143 tons into space, the agency said.

"This is a pivotal moment for this program and for NASA. This has been a whirlwind experience from a design standpoint. Reaching this key development point in such a short period of time, while following the strict protocol and design standards set by NASA for human spaceflight is a testament to the team's commitment to delivering the nation's next heavy-lift launch vehicle," said SLS Program Manager Todd May.

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NASA'S SLS Rocket Passes Major Hurdle