Is SLS more powerful than Saturn V?

At liftoff thrust, yes — about 39 MN versus Saturn V's 34 MN. But Saturn V carried more total payload to translunar injection. Block 2 SLS is designed to surpass Saturn V on payload as well.

How much does an SLS launch cost?

NASA Inspector General reports estimate per-flight production and operations costs at $2.2 billion or more, not including development.

No. SLS is fully expendable. The core stage, solid rocket boosters, and upper stage are all discarded after each flight.

NASA SLS: Inside the Most Powerful Rocket Currently Flying

NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is the most powerful rocket currently flying — generating more thrust at liftoff than Saturn V. It is the rocket NASA built specifically for the Artemis program, designed to send Orion crew capsules to the Moon and beyond.

SLS specifications (Block 1)

Height: 98 m (322 ft) with Orion
Diameter (core stage): 8.4 m (27.6 ft)
Total liftoff mass: ~2,608,000 kg
Core engines: 4 RS-25 (Shuttle-heritage)
Solid rocket boosters: 2 five-segment SRBs
Liftoff thrust: 39.1 MN (8.8 million lbf)
Payload to TLI (Block 1): 27,000 kg
Payload to LEO (Block 1): 95,000 kg

SLS lineage: from Shuttle parts to a Moon rocket

SLS reuses heritage hardware from the Space Shuttle program. The four RS-25 engines on the core stage are the same Aerojet Rocketdyne engines that powered the Shuttle, refurbished and adapted for an expendable role. The two solid rocket boosters are an evolved five-segment version of the Shuttle's four-segment SRBs. This heritage lowered development risk but has been criticized for high per-flight costs.

Artemis I, II, and III

Artemis I (Nov 2022): Uncrewed test flight — Orion looped around the Moon
Artemis II: First crewed flight — four astronauts on a free-return lunar flyby
Artemis III: First crewed lunar landing since Apollo 17 — uses Starship HLS as the lander
Artemis IV+: SLS Block 1B with Exploration Upper Stage; Gateway lunar station construction

SLS vs Saturn V vs Starship

Saturn V holds the record for payload to TLI at about 50 t. SLS Block 1 carries about 27 t to TLI; the upgraded Block 1B will lift roughly 38 t. Starship — once operational with orbital refueling — will exceed both, while being fully reusable.

The future of SLS

Per-flight costs of SLS exceed $2 billion (some estimates higher), and only one SLS flies per year at most. NASA continues to fund SLS through the Artemis Block 1B and future Block 2 versions, but the existence of Starship and New Glenn raises questions about its long-term role. For now, SLS remains the only operational human-rated rocket for direct lunar missions.