ARES

Named after the Greek god for Mars, there will be two versions of the Ares, the Ares I and the Ares V. The Ares I will be used for low-earth orbit and missions to the ISS. Ares V will be the heavy lift vehicle for low-earth orbit, and for missions to the moon.

Ares I

The Ares I is a two stage rocket which will be topped by the Orion service module, crew module, and a launch escape system. The first stage is a five-segment reusable solid rocket booster based on the solid rocket booster used by the Space Shuttle. The second stage is powered by a J-2X which has evolved from the J-2 engine used by the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets of the Apollo era. It is fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

Ares I has two missions. The first is to loft up to six astronauts or cargo to the International Space Station. The second mission is to loft four astronauts to low-earth orbit for rendezvous with an Ares V Earth Departure Stage for a journey to the moon.

The first stage will fire for two-and-a-half minutes, propelling the vehicle to 191,500 feet (58,369 meters) and Mach 5.9. The stage then separates and the second stage fires, increasing altitude to 439,700 feet (134 km). At this point, the engine on the Orion service module takes over.

Launch abort system		Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (Crew Module/ Service Module)
Spacecraft Adapter
		Instrument Unit
		Upper Stage
J-2X Upper Stage Engine
		Interstage
First Stage (5-Segment RSRB)

Ares I

Concept image of launch of Ares I. (NASA MSFC)

Ares V

The Ares V is a two stage launch system capable of putting 284,000 pounds (131.8 metric tons) into low-earth orbit, or 144,000 pounds (65 metric tones) into lunar orbit.

The first stage consists of a core cluster of five RS-68 liquid fueled (liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen) rocket engines (derived from engines used in the Delta IV) and two five-segment solid rocket boosters (derived from the solid rocket boosters used by the Space Shuttle). Like the Ares I, the second stage is powered by a J-2X which has evolved from the J-2 engine used by the Saturn IB and Saturn V rockets of the Apollo era. It is fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.  In the case of the Ares V, the second stage serves as the Earth Departure Stage for lunar missions. This stage is jettisoned after the Orion (mated with a Lunar Lander) is on a lunar trajectory.

	Composite Shroud
	Lander
	Earth Departure Stage
	Spacecraft Adapter       Interstage
	Core Stage
	2 5-Segment RSRBs

Ares V

Concept image of Ares V in Earth orbit. (NASA/MSFC)