Ares I upper stage - Mid Pacific-Aft & IUA Ring, Boeing will produce the Ares I crew launch vehicle’s instrument unit avionics (IUA). The IUA, shown in the lower right, provides the guidance, navigation and control hardware for the new Ares I crew launch vehicle, serving as the “brains” behind the rocket’s ascent. Boeing will produce three IUA flight test units and six production units, with an option to produce four additional units per year from 2014 to 2016. This image also illustrates the flight of the Ares I upper stage, which Boeing also is producing for NASA. Ares I will transport the Orion crew exploration vehicle to low-Earth orbit where it eventually will journey to the International Space Station and the moon.