With every passing day, NASA gets closer and closer to completing its Space Launch System

Described as the most powerful rocket since the Saturn V that sent American astronauts to the Moon, SLS will tower 322 feet on its launch pad and produce 8.4 million pounds of thrust at liftoff.

SLS is also powering the profits of America's biggest space companies. Boeing, Lockheed Martin Aerojet Rocketdyne, and Orbital ATK (now owned by Northrop Grumman) are just a few of the companies profiting from SLS's $35 development budget. And once SLS is built, it could be even more lucrative for its builders and operators, generating revenue of as much as $1 billion -- some estimates now say $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion -- per launch.

Or will it?