美国航空航天局（ NASA ）首次推出新巨型月球火箭。该飞行器被称作 “太空发射系统（ Space Launch System, SLS ）”，它被带到佛罗里达州肯尼迪航天中心的  39B  号发射台上进行模拟倒计时演习。

 

They call it the Space Launch System, or SLS, and it's a colossus. More powerful than the Apollo-era rockets, this new vehicle is designed to be able to send so much equipment and cargo¹ to the Moon, the men and women will be able to stay there for extended periods.

它被称为“太空发射系统”，简称“SLS”，是个庞然大物。这种新型运载工具比阿波罗时代的火箭更强大，设计它是为了向月球运送大量设备和物资，使得人类能在那里停留更长时间。

 

Nasa dispatched a mammoth² tractor to ferry the SLS from its assembly building to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Once fully³ installed, engineers will conduct a dummy⁴ countdown to check all the systems are working.

美国航空航天局派出了一辆巨型拖车，将“太空发射系统”火箭从其装配大楼运送到肯尼迪航天中心的发射台。一旦安装完毕，工程师将进行模拟倒计时，以检查所有系统是否运转正常。

 

If no problems are found, the rocket will launch an uncrewed capsule to loop around the Moon in the coming months. And if that goes well, astronauts will then start flying on a succession of SLS vehicles.

如果没有发现问题，火箭将在未来几个月内发射一个无人太空舱，围绕月球飞行。如果进展顺利，宇航员们将开始执行一系列“太空发射系统”火箭的飞行任务。

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