The Ares V is scheduled to be operational in 2018. It will be capable of delivering 300,000 pounds to low Earth orbit, more payload than any launch system ever built. Two ATK five-segment solid rocket boosters (each capable of generating 3.5 million pounds of maximum thrust) and five RS-68 engines will provide first-stage propulsion. Because Ares V will share major propulsion elements with today's Space Shuttle and its successor, Ares I, reliability will be significantly increased and development costs reduced.

Artist's Note: Painted in Photoshop CS2. Hardware was an Apple Power Macintosh Dual G5 2.5 GHz and a Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet.