These artist’s concepts depict NASA’s Orion spacecraft and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system test article during rendezvous and docking operations as part of NASA’s upcoming Artemis III demonstration mission in low Earth orbit. NASA is working with two American companies to develop the human landing systems that will safely transport astronauts from lunar orbit to the Moon’s surface and back for future Artemis missions. For Artemis III, both SpaceX and Blue Origin will fly test versions, or test articles, of the crewed landers that will be used for future Moon landings. The lander test articles will launch by commercial rockets, while the Artemis III crew will launch to low Earth orbit in Orion atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Brandon Hancock)

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of a production cell and into the main aisle of the vertical assembly building on June 9. The team rotates the tank from a vertical to a horizontal configuration in an operation called a “breakover,” and sets the tank into a pair of cradles until it is moved to its next phase of production. This liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, and it will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen at launch. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 21.8-foot-tall intertank for the core stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into one of the factory’s high bay production cells May 29. The flight hardware will help power NASA’s Artemis IV mission. Inside the production cell, NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor will apply the hardware’s outer thermal protection layer through an automated process. The thermal protection system safeguards the rocket from the extreme temperatures and prevents the super-cooled propellant within the rocket’s massive propellant tanks from boiling off too rapidly during launch and flight. The intertank houses avionics and electronics, serves as an attachment point for the solid rocket boosters, and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility May 7, 2026, to see how the MAF team is helping build the future of human space exploration through Artemis. As a key production site for NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, teams at Michoud are focused on hardware for upcoming Artemis missions, including next year’s Artemis III mission and beyond. Isaacman toured the facility following an employee town hall. Acknowledging the facility’s rich history supporting all agency human space flight initiatives since Apollo, Isaacman called Michoud an “advanced manufacturing center of excellence,” and praised the workforce for their contribution to the Artemis campaign. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also in attendance and participated in the event and tours. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of a production cell and into the main aisle of the vertical assembly building on June 9. The team rotates the tank from a vertical to a horizontal configuration in an operation called a “breakover,” and sets the tank into a pair of cradles until it is moved to its next phase of production. This liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, and it will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen at launch. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of a production cell and into the main aisle of the vertical assembly building on June 9. The team rotates the tank from a vertical to a horizontal configuration in an operation called a “breakover,” and sets the tank into a pair of cradles until it is moved to its next phase of production. This liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, and it will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen at launch. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell on July 20, 2026. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a vertical to a horizontal configuration and placed into two static cradles in the main aisle of the vertical assembly building. Having completed proof testing, teams prepare the tank for transport to a production area in the main factory where they will perform post-proof non-destructive evaluations. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.      Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the aft dome for the liquid oxygen tank into the Vertical Assembly Center on May 11. The flight hardware will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis IV mission. The aft dome is the final piece to complete the liquid oxygen tank structure. Inside the vertical assembly center – one of the largest friction-stir weld tools in the world – NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, will perform a circumferential weld to join the dome to the previously welded forward dome and two barrel structures to form the full liquid oxygen tank structure. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the aft dome for the liquid oxygen tank into the Vertical Assembly Center on May 11. The flight hardware will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis IV mission. The aft dome is the final piece to complete the liquid oxygen tank structure. Inside the vertical assembly center – one of the largest friction-stir weld tools in the world – NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, will perform a circumferential weld to join the dome to the previously welded forward dome and two barrel structures to form the full liquid oxygen tank structure. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lifting and installing the liquid oxygen dome weld confidence article for a future upper stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the LTAC (LOX Tank Assembly Center) in Building 115 at Michoud for the next phase of manufacturing in July 2023. The dome makes up a portion of the liquid oxygen tank weld confidence article for the EUS (exploration upper stage). Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures and structural integrity of the welds to manufacture structural test and flight versions of the hardware. EUS flight hardware is in early production at Michoud. The more powerful upper stage and its four RL10 engines will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for the SLS core stage and EUS, are manufacturing SLS stages for Artemis II, III, IV, and V at the facility. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into a production area inside the 43-acre rocket factory on March 6, 2026. The tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for its Artemis IV mission, will soon undergo a series of non-destructive evaluation tests to ensure the tank is ready for the next step in the production process. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lifting and installing the liquid oxygen dome weld confidence article for a future upper stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the LTAC (LOX Tank Assembly Center) in Building 115 at Michoud for the next phase of manufacturing in July 2023. The dome makes up a portion of the liquid oxygen tank weld confidence article for the EUS (exploration upper stage). Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures and structural integrity of the welds to manufacture structural test and flight versions of the hardware. EUS flight hardware is in early production at Michoud. The more powerful upper stage and its four RL10 engines will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for the SLS core stage and EUS, are manufacturing SLS stages for Artemis II, III, IV, and V at the facility. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman speaks to the Michoud workforce during an employee town hall and Q&A session on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Isaacman, NASA’s 15th administrator, stopped at Michoud during his multi-center tour to meet with employees, contractors, and partners. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank from the proof testing building to the main factory on July 10. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to the rocket engines during launch. Soon, teams with SLS prime contractor, Boeing, will move the tank into the facility’s vertical assembly building for cleaning operations. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker

This image shows the forward skirt that will be used on the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The forward skirt houses flight computers, cameras, and avionics systems. The hardware is located at the top of the 212-foot-tall core stage and connects the upper part of the rocket to the core stage. Soon, technicians will ready the forward skirt for the first of three core stage assembly mates called the forward join. The forward join consists of three main parts -- the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, and intertank – to create the top, or forward part, of the core stage. Together with its four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System, and Orion spacecraft, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

NASA’s Pegasus barge departs from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on April 21. The barge arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27 with the largest section of the core stage for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027. Engineers will complete outfitting and vertical integration of the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage at NASA Kennedy. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the aft dome for the liquid oxygen tank into the Vertical Assembly Center on May 11. The flight hardware will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis IV mission. The aft dome is the final piece to complete the liquid oxygen tank structure. Inside the vertical assembly center – one of the largest friction-stir weld tools in the world – NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, will perform a circumferential weld to join the dome to the previously welded forward dome and two barrel structures to form the full liquid oxygen tank structure. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: (NASA/Brandon Hancock)

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank from the proof testing building to the main factory on July 10. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to the rocket engines during launch. Soon, teams with SLS prime contractor, Boeing, will move the tank into the facility’s vertical assembly building for cleaning operations. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of a production cell and into the main aisle of the vertical assembly building on June 9. The team rotates the tank from a vertical to a horizontal configuration in an operation called a “breakover,” and sets the tank into a pair of cradles until it is moved to its next phase of production. This liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, and it will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen at launch. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility May 7, 2026, to see how the MAF team is helping build the future of human space exploration through Artemis. As a key production site for NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, teams at Michoud are focused on hardware for upcoming Artemis missions, including next year’s Artemis III mission and beyond. Isaacman toured the facility following an employee town hall. Acknowledging the facility’s rich history supporting all agency human space flight initiatives since Apollo, Isaacman called Michoud an “advanced manufacturing center of excellence,” and praised the workforce for their contribution to the Artemis campaign. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also in attendance and participated in the event and tours. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of a production cell and into the main aisle of the vertical assembly building on June 9. The team rotates the tank from a vertical to a horizontal configuration in an operation called a “breakover,” and sets the tank into a pair of cradles until it is moved to its next phase of production. This liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, and it will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen at launch. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test building on a separate portion of the 829-acre site. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to one of four RS-25 engines. Inside the test cell, teams will perform non-destructive evaluation proof testing on the tank. Proof testing ensures the structural integrity of the flight hardware before crews begin the next phase of production.   The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test building on a separate portion of the 829-acre site. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to one of four RS-25 engines. Inside the test cell, teams will perform non-destructive evaluation proof testing on the tank. Proof testing ensures the structural integrity of the flight hardware before crews begin the next phase of production.   The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell on July 20, 2026. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a vertical to a horizontal configuration and placed into two static cradles in the main aisle of the vertical assembly building. Having completed proof testing, teams prepare the tank for transport to a production area in the main factory where they will perform post-proof non-destructive evaluations. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.      Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility May 7, 2026, to see how the MAF team is helping build the future of human space exploration through Artemis. As a key production site for NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, teams at Michoud are focused on hardware for upcoming Artemis missions, including next year’s Artemis III mission and beyond. Isaacman toured the facility following an employee town hall. Acknowledging the facility’s rich history supporting all agency human space flight initiatives since Apollo, Isaacman called Michoud an “advanced manufacturing center of excellence,” and praised the workforce for their contribution to the Artemis campaign. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also in attendance and participated in the event and tours. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building on July 23, 2026. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is suspended in a strap carrier transport apparatus and brought into the main factory building. Here, teams with SLS core stage prime contractor, Boeing, will perform post-proof non-destructive evaluations on the flight hardware before moving forward with tank cleaning. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA’s Pegasus barge departs from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on April 21. The barge arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27 with the largest section of the core stage for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027. Engineers will complete outfitting and vertical integration of the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage at NASA Kennedy. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell on July 20, 2026. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a vertical to a horizontal configuration and placed into two static cradles in the main aisle of the vertical assembly building. Having completed proof testing, teams prepare the tank for transport to a production area in the main factory where they will perform post-proof non-destructive evaluations. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.      Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank from the proof testing building to the main factory on July 10. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to the rocket engines during launch. Soon, teams with SLS prime contractor, Boeing, will move the tank into the facility’s vertical assembly building for cleaning operations. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly center on May 26. The liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. It will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen; and next, technicians with Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, and NASA will perform dimensional inspections and install internal baffles on the propellant tank before the next phase of production. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly center on May 26. The liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. It will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen; and next, technicians with Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, and NASA will perform dimensional inspections and install internal baffles on the propellant tank before the next phase of production. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into a production area inside the 43-acre rocket factory on March 6, 2026. The tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for its Artemis IV mission, will soon undergo a series of non-destructive evaluation tests to ensure the tank is ready for the next step in the production process. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into a production area inside the 43-acre rocket factory on March 6, 2026. The tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for its Artemis IV mission, will soon undergo a series of non-destructive evaluation tests to ensure the tank is ready for the next step in the production process. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman visited NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility May 7, 2026, to see how the MAF team is helping build the future of human space exploration through Artemis. As a key production site for NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) and Orion spacecraft, teams at Michoud are focused on hardware for upcoming Artemis missions, including next year’s Artemis III mission and beyond. Isaacman toured the facility following an employee town hall. Acknowledging the facility’s rich history supporting all agency human space flight initiatives since Apollo, Isaacman called Michoud an “advanced manufacturing center of excellence,” and praised the workforce for their contribution to the Artemis campaign. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was also in attendance and participated in the event and tours. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into a production area inside the 43-acre rocket factory on March 6, 2026. The tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for its Artemis IV mission, will soon undergo a series of non-destructive evaluation tests to ensure the tank is ready for the next step in the production process. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

NASA’s Pegasus barge departs from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on April 21. The barge arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27 with the largest section of the core stage for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027. Engineers will complete outfitting and vertical integration of the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage at NASA Kennedy. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use an overhead crane to lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly center on May 26. The liquid oxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. It will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cold liquid oxygen; and next, technicians with Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, and NASA will perform dimensional inspections and install internal baffles on the propellant tank before the next phase of production. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lifting and installing the liquid oxygen dome weld confidence article for a future upper stage for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket onto the LTAC (LOX Tank Assembly Center) in Building 115 at Michoud for the next phase of manufacturing in July 2023. The dome makes up a portion of the liquid oxygen tank weld confidence article for the EUS (exploration upper stage). Teams use weld confidence articles to verify welding procedures and structural integrity of the welds to manufacture structural test and flight versions of the hardware. EUS flight hardware is in early production at Michoud. The more powerful upper stage and its four RL10 engines will be used on the second configuration of the SLS rocket, known as Block 1B, and will provide in-space propulsion to send astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft and heavy cargo on a precise trajectory to the Moon. NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for the SLS core stage and EUS, are manufacturing SLS stages for Artemis II, III, IV, and V at the facility. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 21.8-foot-tall intertank for the core stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into one of the factory’s high bay production cells May 29. The flight hardware will help power NASA’s Artemis IV mission. Inside the production cell, NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor will apply the hardware’s outer thermal protection layer through an automated process. The thermal protection system safeguards the rocket from the extreme temperatures and prevents the super-cooled propellant within the rocket’s massive propellant tanks from boiling off too rapidly during launch and flight. The intertank houses avionics and electronics, serves as an attachment point for the solid rocket boosters, and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank from the proof testing building to the main factory on July 10. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to the rocket engines during launch. Soon, teams with SLS prime contractor, Boeing, will move the tank into the facility’s vertical assembly building for cleaning operations. The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.     Image credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon & Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Photo Credit: NASA/Eric Bordelon

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the aft dome for the liquid oxygen tank into the Vertical Assembly Center on May 11. The flight hardware will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the Artemis IV mission. The aft dome is the final piece to complete the liquid oxygen tank structure. Inside the vertical assembly center – one of the largest friction-stir weld tools in the world – NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor, will perform a circumferential weld to join the dome to the previously welded forward dome and two barrel structures to form the full liquid oxygen tank structure. The propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the 21.8-foot-tall intertank for the core stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into one of the factory’s high bay production cells May 29. The flight hardware will help power NASA’s Artemis IV mission. Inside the production cell, NASA and Boeing, SLS core stage prime contractor will apply the hardware’s outer thermal protection layer through an automated process. The thermal protection system safeguards the rocket from the extreme temperatures and prevents the super-cooled propellant within the rocket’s massive propellant tanks from boiling off too rapidly during launch and flight. The intertank houses avionics and electronics, serves as an attachment point for the solid rocket boosters, and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.    Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

These images show NASA’s Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as it transported the Artemis I launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Leaving with the adapter from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pegasus made a brief stop at Michoud to offload supplies and equipment before continuing its to Kennedy. The LVSA connects the deep space rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage to the rocket’s upper stage and will be used for Artemis I, the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program. Once at Kennedy, the LVSA will undergo Artemis I launch preparations. Only the SLS core stage, currently in final testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, remains to be shipped to Kennedy on Pegasus. The core stage is produced at Michoud. Together with four RS-25 engines, the rocket’s massive 212-foot-tall core stage — the largest stage NASA has ever built — and its twin solid rocket boosters produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. Offering more payload mass, volume capacity and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit, the Human Landing System and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.

SLS Liquid Hydrogen Tank Test Article Moved at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility

NASA’s Pegasus barge departs from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on April 21. The barge arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 27 with the largest section of the core stage for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027. Engineers will complete outfitting and vertical integration of the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage at NASA Kennedy. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans transport the 130-foot-tall liquid hydrogen tank out of a production cell inside the main factory building into a detached test building on a separate portion of the 829-acre site. The liquid hydrogen tank will form part of the core stage for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, providing thousands of gallons of super-cold propellant to one of four RS-25 engines. Inside the test cell, teams will perform non-destructive evaluation proof testing on the tank. Proof testing ensures the structural integrity of the flight hardware before crews begin the next phase of production.   The liquid hydrogen propellant tank is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

NASA moved the core stage, or the largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the crewed Artemis III mission in 2027 from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility to the agency’s Pegasus barge in New Orleans on April 20. The barge will ferry the top four-fifths – the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt – of the SLS core stage to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to complete outfitting and vertical integration. Teams with NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, used specialized transporters to guide the top four-fifths from the NASA rocket factory to Pegasus. Prior to the move, technicians added an engine section transportation simulator to the rocket stage for shipment to the Space Coast. Next year’s Artemis III mission will launch astronauts to Earth’s orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft on top of SLS to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land Artemis IV astronauts on the Moon in 2028. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell on July 20, 2026. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a vertical to a horizontal configuration and placed into two static cradles in the main aisle of the vertical assembly building. Having completed proof testing, teams prepare the tank for transport to a production area in the main factory where they will perform post-proof non-destructive evaluations. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.      Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank from the main rocket factory into the adjacent vertical assembly building. The liquid oxygen tank, which will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon, is rotated from a horizontal to a vertical configuration and loaded into the high bay’s hydrostatic proof testing cell. This non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The propellant tank will hold more than 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen at launch and is one of five major elements that make up the 212-foot-tall SLS rocket stage. The core stage, along with its four RS-25 engines at its base, produces more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.       Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker