SLS

Abbreviation with 2 meanings

SLS
Stands forSpace Launch System
Meanings2
CategoriesScience & Engineering

SLS has two meanings. It stands for Space Launch System (astronomy & Space) or Sodium lauryl sulfate (chemistry).

Meanings of SLS at a glance

#SLS stands forContext
1Space Launch SystemScience & Engineering › Astronomy & Space
2Sodium lauryl sulfateScience & Engineering › Chemistry

1. Space Launch System

Science & Engineering · Astronomy & Space Abbreviations

NASA's super heavy-lift rocket developed to send Orion crew capsules to the Moon under the Artemis program. With about 39 meganewtons of liftoff thrust, it is the most powerful rocket NASA has flown, and it first launched with the uncrewed Artemis I mission on November 16, 2022.

Example: SLS uses four RS-25 engines salvaged and upgraded from the space shuttle program.

The rocket's core stage burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and is flanked by two solid rocket boosters. Critics have pointed to its cost, more than two billion dollars per launch by NASA inspector general estimates, and expendable design. The Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface.

2. Sodium lauryl sulfate

Science & Engineering · Chemistry Abbreviations

Inexpensive surfactant that makes toothpaste, shampoo, body wash and dish soap foam. Chemically identical to the laboratory detergent SDS, it is considered safe at cosmetic concentrations, but it can irritate skin and the lining of the mouth in some people, so "SLS-free" products are widely marketed.

Example: The dentist suggested an SLS-free toothpaste to see whether it reduced her canker sores.

SLS should not be confused with SLES (sodium laureth sulfate), an ethoxylated and generally milder relative also common in shampoos. Online claims that SLS causes cancer are not supported by scientific reviews. Ingredient lists may also show it as sodium dodecyl sulfate or, in British spelling, sodium lauryl sulphate.

More astronomy & Space abbreviations

  • RP-1 – Rocket Propellant-1
  • RTG – Radioisotope thermoelectric generator
  • SETI – Search for extraterrestrial intelligence
  • SKA – Square Kilometre Array
  • SMBH – Supermassive black hole
  • SN – Supernova
  • SOHO – Solar and Heliospheric Observatory
  • SRB – Solid rocket booster

See all 83 astronomy & Space abbreviations →

More chemistry abbreviations

  • RT – Room temperature
  • RTP – Room temperature and pressure
  • SATP – Standard ambient temperature and pressure
  • SDS – Safety data sheet
  • SN1 – Unimolecular nucleophilic substitution
  • SN2 – Bimolecular nucleophilic substitution
  • STP – Standard temperature and pressure
  • TFA – Trifluoroacetic acid

See all 106 chemistry abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.