A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be offloaded in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

In the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers use a crane to lift up the left-hand booster forward assembly for the agency’s Space Launch System for transfer into High Bay 3 on March 1, 2021. The forward assembly will be attached to the center forward segment on the mobile launcher (ML). Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams have been stacking the twin five-segment boosters on the ML over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the SLS. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

In a view from below, the American flag is in view hanging from the final work platform, A north, as the platform is lifted up by crane from the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.

With all of the work platforms retracted, NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher are in view in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 3, 2022. The crawler-transporter, driven by engineers, will slide under the Artemis I stack atop the mobile launcher and carry it to Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal test ahead of the Artemis I launch. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis I mission, fully assembled with its launch abort system, was lowered on top of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 20, 2021. The stacking of Orion on top of the SLS completes assembly for the Artemis I flight test. Teams will begin conducting a series of verification tests ahead of rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for the Wet Dress Rehearsal. Artemis I will be an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.

The right-hand and left-hand forward assembly exit cones for the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) are in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 21, 2021. The exit cones will be transferred to High Bay 3 for stacking on the twin boosters on the mobile launcher. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the first half of the B-level work platforms, B South, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be offloaded in the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault speaks to attendees during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020, to recognize the Vehicle Assembly Building with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award. The Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers nominated the historic building and bestowed the award. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the left-hand center booster segment for Artemis I is lowered onto the aft booster segment on the mobile launcher for the Space Launch System (SLS) on Jan. 7, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

Jacobs TOSC workers prepare for the lift of the engine service platform that will provide access to the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on the mobile launcher (ML) in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 18, 2019. The large work platform is designed to provide unrestricted access to the RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage from the ML. The service platform will be used for Artemis 1 and subsequent missions. For Artemis 1, the Orion spacecraft will launch atop the SLS rocket from Launch Pad 39B and begin an approximately three-week mission that will send Orion thousands of miles beyond the Moon. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing work on the ML.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be delivered to the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the D-level work platforms, D south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view below are the six levels of previously installed platforms. The D platform will be installed on the south side of the high bay. The D platforms are the seventh of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s journey to Mars.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a cover, called a spider, is attached to the top of the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage pathfinder on Oct. 4, 2019. With the spider secured in place, a crane will be attached to it to lift the pathfinder into the vertical position. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived on NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It will be used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

Members of the media get an up-close look at the integrated twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during Artemis Media Day on Friday, March 7, 2025. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Members of the Sustainability team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida take a bin of disposed hard drives to be shredded in conjunction with America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. Kennedy partnered with several organizations in order to donate as many of the items as possible to those who could use them the most in the Space Coast community. Space center personnel brought in electronic waste, gently used household goods, clothing and more.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the left-hand center center booster segment for Artemis I is lowered onto the center aft booster segment on the mobile launcher for the Space Launch System (SLS) on Jan. 21, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

A section of the second half of the C-level platforms, C North, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, arrives at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was offloaded from a heavy lift transport truck and secured in a staging area in the west parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, for installation in High Bay 3. The B platform will be installed on the north side of high bay. In view below are eight levels of previously installed platforms. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team use a crane to lift and secure NASA’s Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for the agency’s Artemis II mission. Set to launch in 2026, the spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Once stacked, teams will begin conducting a series of verification tests ahead of rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for the wet dress rehearsal at NASA Kennedy.

A sign points the way to the electronic waste collection site, where NASA Kennedy Space Center employees donated computers, monitors, vacuum cleaners and other electronics in conjunction with America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. Kennedy partnered with several organizations in order to donate as many of the items as possible to those who could use them the most in the Space Coast community. Space center personnel brought in electronic waste, gently used household goods, clothing and more. The two-day event was sponsored by Kennedy's Sustainability team.

Jim Bolton, Core Stage Element Operations manager in Exploration Ground Systems (EGS), is at the north end of the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 3, 2019. Behind him is the Space Launch System Core Stage pathfinder. A cover, called a spider, is being attached to the top of the pathfinder. With the spider secured in place, a crane will be attached to it to lift the pathfinder into the vertical position. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived aboard NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It will be used by EGS and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

High up in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers assist with the installation of the final work platform, A north, in High Bay 3, as a crane lowers the platform into place. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of the high bay. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.

The mobile launcher with NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft aboard is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building during the opening of the doors to High Bay 3 before rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for launch, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As part of the agency’s Artemis I flight test, the fully stacked and integrated SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft is scheduled to liftoff on Monday, Aug. 29. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human presence to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by launching Orion atop the SLS rocket, operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew module after reentry, descent, and splashdown.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In view are five levels of platforms previously installed. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s journey to Mars.

In High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs use the Orion stage adapter structural test article and the Mass Simulator for Orion for testing on Aug. 13, 2021. They are stacked atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. These test articles represent the mass and weight of the actual Orion stage adapter and Orion spacecraft that will be used for various tests. Launching in 2021, Artemis I will be an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.

From left to right, NASA Associate Administrator for STEM Engagement Mike Kincade, left, Kelvin Manning, associate director, technical, of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier, right, enjoy a panoramic view from the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building on July 10, 2019. Droegemeier visited the iconic rocket-assembly facility in the heart of Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 Area during a tour of the multi-user spaceport.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second of two Artemis I aft booster segments for the Space Launch System is lowered by crane onto the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 on Nov. 24, 2020. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

Teams from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida transport the agency’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) core stage boat-tail from the spaceport's Space Systems Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Thursday, July 24. Used during the assembly of the SLS core stage, the boat-tail is a fairing-like structure that protects the bottom end of the core stage.  

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, far left, Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, second from left, and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, far right, are on a tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Aug. 28, 2020. The VAB is critical to the assembly of the Space Launch System rocket for NASA’s Artemis program. The Office of Management and Budget is working with the U.S. Congress to line up the necessary resources to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

In High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, construction workers assist during installation of the second half of the D-level work platforms, D north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The D platforms are the seventh of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s journey to Mars.

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems rehearse lifting operations using a mock-up of the Space Launch System (SLS) aft booster segment, referred to as a pathfinder, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 11, 2020, in preparation for Artemis I. The exercise involved preparing the aft pathfinder segment in High Bay 4 of the VAB and moving it over to High Bay 3, where it was placed on the mobile launcher. Stacking of the actual booster segments will occur later this year, before the SLS core stage arrives at Kennedy. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Phil Moyer, original project lead for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), tours the Vehicle Assembly Building on Nov. 22, 2019 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The VAB was recognized with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award by the Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

Technicians from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems use massive cranes inside the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to lift the fully assembled SLS (Space Launch System) core stage vertically 225 feet above the ground from High Bay 2 to a horizontal position in the facility’s transfer aisle at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 14, 2025. The 212-foot core stage will undergo final checkouts before being lifted into the VAB’s High Bay 3 for integration alongside the completed stack of twin solid rocket booster segments.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs prepare to lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.

Atop the massive mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter, Space Shuttle Atlantis begins rolling through the open door of the Vehicle Assembly Building for the journey to Launch Pad 39A. First motion was at 8:19 a.m. In front of each of Atlantis' wings are the tail masts, which provide several umbilical connections to the orbiter, including a liquid-oxygen line through one and a liquid-hydrogen line through another. The 3.4-mile trip to the pad along the crawlerway will take about 6 hours. The mission payload aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis is the S3/S4 integrated truss structure, along with a third set of solar arrays and batteries. The crew of six astronauts will install the truss to continue assembly of the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for March 15.

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team use a crane to lift NASA’s Orion spacecraft off a KAMAG transporter to prepare for integration on top of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, for the agency’s Artemis II mission. Set to launch in 2026, the spacecraft will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission around the Moon and back. Once stacked, teams will begin conducting a series of verification tests ahead of rolling out to Launch Complex 39B for the wet dress rehearsal at NASA Kennedy.

In the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second of two Artemis I aft booster segments for the Space Launch System is lowered by crane into High Bay 3 on Nov. 24, 2020. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana provides a tour for cast and crew members of the upcoming motion picture "Hidden Figures." From the left are Cabana, Pharrell Williams, musician and producer of “Hidden Figures," Taraji P. Henson, who portrays Katherine Johnson in the film, and Octavia Spencer, who portrays Dorothy Vaughan. The group is walking thought the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The movie is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly. It chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, three African-American women who worked for NASA as human "computers.” Their mathematical calculations were crucial to the success of Project Mercury missions including John Glenn’s orbital flight aboard Friendship 7 in 1962. The film is due in theaters in January 2017.

The fully stacked twin solid rocket boosters for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are seen on top of the mobile launcher inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 4, 2021. Now that booster stacking is complete, teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs are preparing to integrate the massive core stage, which arrived at Kennedy in April 2020, with the boosters inside the VAB. The 188,000-pound core stage alone will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch the Artemis I mission. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the first half of the E-level work platforms, E south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The E platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3, about 246 feet above the floor. The E platforms are the sixth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s journey to Mars.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, in between the twin solid rocket boosters, inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, left, talks with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020, to recognize the Vehicle Assembly Building with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award. The Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers nominated the historic building and bestowed the award. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

In the parking lot of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, employees turn in used household material for recycling as part of America Recycles Day (ARD). The annual event is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to promoting recycling in the United States. This year, KSC is partnered with Goodwill Industries and several other local organizations to receive donation material from employees such as gently used household items, personal electronic waste, greeting cards and serviceable eyeglasses.

A construction worker monitors the progress, as a heavy-lift crane lifts the first half of the D-level work platforms, D south, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, up from the transfer aisle floor in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The D platform will be installed on the south side of High Bay 3. The D platforms are the seventh of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s journey to Mars.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems complete stacking operations on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II by integrating the nose cones atop the forward assemblies inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. During three months of stacking operations, technicians used a massive overhead crane to lift 10 booster segments – five segments per booster – and aerodynamic nose cones into place on mobile launcher 1. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

During a training exercise, technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems lower a mock-up of the Space Launch System (SLS) aft booster segment, referred to as a pathfinder, onto the mobile launcher in Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Sept. 11, 2020. The rehearsal involved teams preparing the aft pathfinder segment in High Bay 4 of the VAB, lifting and moving it over to High Bay 3, and placing it on the mobile launcher in preparation for Artemis I. Stacking of the actual booster segments will occur later this year, before the SLS core stage arrives at the Florida spaceport. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines has been offloaded from a flatbed truck and is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs integrated the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) atop the massive SLS core stage on the mobile launcher inside the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 5, 2021. The ICPS’s RL 10 engine is housed inside the launch vehicle stage adapter, which will protect the engine during launch. The ICPS is a liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen-based system that will give the Orion spacecraft the big in-space push needed to fly tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon. The next component to be stacked on top of ICPS will be the Orion stage adapter, which will connect the ICPS with the spacecraft. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon. As the first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

All work platforms are retracted from around NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile launcher, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in preparation for rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than no later than April 2026.

In this view looking down inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 11, 2022, the work platforms are being retracted from around the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation to roll out to launch pad 39B. The Kennedy ground systems team is working to remove equipment and scaffolding away from the rocket and will continue retracting the platforms until the entire rocket is revealed ahead of the wet dress rehearsal test, which is scheduled to occur approximately two weeks after it arrives to 39B. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will enable human exploration to the Moon and Mars.

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program attach the Orion stage adapter to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket inside Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2025. During the Artemis II test flight, the Orion stage adapter separates from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, deploying four science payloads into high-Earth orbit. Up next, the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system will stack atop the Orion stage adapter to complete integration and prepare for the launch of four astronauts around the Moon and back in early 2026.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs integrate the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) atop the massive SLS core stage in the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 5, 2021. The ICPS is a liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen-based system that will fire its RL 10 engine to give the Orion spacecraft the big in-space push needed to fly tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon. The next component to be stacked on top of ICPS will be the Orion stage adapter, which will connect the ICPS with the spacecraft. Through Artemis, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface, as well as establish a sustainable presence on and around the Moon. As the first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, operations are underway to attach a cover, called a spider, to the top of the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage pathfinder on Oct. 4, 2019. With the spider secured in place, a crane will be attached to it to lift the pathfinder into the vertical position. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived on NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It will be used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program attach the Orion stage adapter to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage atop the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket inside Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2025. During the Artemis II test flight, the Orion stage adapter separates from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, deploying four science payloads into high-Earth orbit. Up next, the Orion spacecraft and its launch abort system will stack atop the Orion stage adapter to complete integration and prepare for the launch of four astronauts around the Moon and back in early 2026.

The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage is seen atop the mobile launcher inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lifted and lowered the core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, placing it in between the twin solid rocket boosters. The 188,000-pound core stage, with its four RS-25 engines, will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to send the Artemis I mission to space. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, as well as establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface in preparation for human missions to Mars.

Preparations are underway to lift the final work platform, A north, up from the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be installed and secured on its rail beam high up on the north wall of High Bay 3. The installation of the final topmost level completes the 10 levels of work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, that will surround NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The A-level platforms will provide access to the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System for Orion lifting sling removal and installation of the closeout panels. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB, including installation of the new work platforms.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The platform will be delivered to the Vehicle Assembly Building where it will be offloaded in a staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

An engineer sets up equipment from the Design Visualization Lab inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 14, 2020. The equipment will be used to do 3-D modeling of the mobile launcher that will carry the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to Launch Complex 39B for the Artemis I mission. Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Painting of the NASA logo, also called the meatball, continues on the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 22, 2020. HM2 and H.I.S. Painting of Titusville, Florida, are repainting the meatball and the American Flag on the iconic building. The VAB was last painted in 2007, when repairs were completed after the 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne tore 845 panels off the building. It will take over 500 gallons of paint to paint the 209-by-110-foot flag and the 110-by-132-foot meatball. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing upgrades to the VAB to support the launch of the SLS and Orion for Artemis missions. Under the Artemis program, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the Moon.

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems integrate the aerodynamic nose cone onto the left-hand forward assembly on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters for Artemis II inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis II Moon rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.

Inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, application of the NASA worm logo is complete on the first of two solid rocket boosters for the Artemis I Space Launch System on March 14, 2022. The SLS and Orion spacecraft are stacked in the high bay and ready for rollout to Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

During a training exercise, technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems lower a mock-up of the Space Launch System (SLS) aft booster segment, referred to as a pathfinder, onto the mobile launcher in Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Sept. 11, 2020. The rehearsal involved teams preparing the aft pathfinder segment in High Bay 4 of the VAB, lifting and moving it over to High Bay 3, and placing it on the mobile launcher in preparation for Artemis I. Stacking of the actual booster segments will occur later this year, before the SLS core stage arrives at the Florida spaceport. Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the right-hand and left-hand forward segments are secured on the center forward segments on the mobile launcher (ML) for the Space Launch System (SLS) on March 3, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams stacked the twin five-segment boosters on the ML over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the SLS. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage is seen in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 4, 2021. Teams with the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs are preparing to lift the 188,000-pound core stage and place it on the mobile launcher in between the two solid rocket boosters in High Bay 3 of the VAB. The core stage alone will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch, and coupled with the boosters, will provide more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch the Artemis I mission. The first in an increasingly complex series of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

A long exposure photograph of the Vehicle Assembly Building, against the backdrop of a bright blue sky, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, 10 levels of platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, have been installed in High Bay 3. The platforms will surround NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, along with center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB to support the multi-user spaceport.

The crawler-transporter, driven by engineers, approaches the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 1, 2022. The crawler will go inside the VAB, where it will slide under the Artemis I Space Launch System with the Orion spacecraft atop on the mobile launcher and carry it to Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal test ahead of the Artemis I launch. Artemis I will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. In later missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

A scrub jay perches on a branch near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 22, 2020. Painting of the NASA logo, also called the meatball, continues on the 525-foot-tall building. HM2 and H.I.S. Painting of Titusville, Florida, are repainting the meatball and the American Flag on the iconic building. The VAB was last painted in 2007, when repairs were completed after the 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne tore 845 panels off the building. It will take over 500 gallons of paint to paint the 209-by-110-foot flag and the 110-by-132-foot meatball. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing upgrades to the VAB to support the launch of the SLS and Orion for Artemis missions. Under the Artemis program, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the Moon.

Teams lift the first stage of the Apollo 8 Saturn V rocket inside the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 1, 1968, and prepare to place it atop the mobile launcher. Apollo 8 was the first crewed spacecraft to successfully orbit the Moon and return to Earth, setting the stage for Apollo 11 – the first crewed lunar landing. Apollo 8 launched on Dec. 21, 1968, and the crew members consisted of Frank Borman, William A. Anders, and James A. Lovell Jr.

In this view looking down in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, the work platforms are retracted around NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for rollout to Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis II flight test will take Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), around the Moon and back to Earth no later than no later than April 2026.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the left-hand and right-hand forward segments are secured on top of the center forward segments on the mobile launcher (ML) for the Space Launch System (SLS) on Feb. 24, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams are stacking the twin five-segment boosters on the ML over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.

In this view looking down inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 10, 2022, the work platforms are being retracted from around the Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation to roll out to launch pad 39B. The Kennedy ground systems team is working to remove equipment and scaffolding away from the rocket and will continue retracting the platforms until the entire rocket is revealed ahead of the wet dress rehearsal test, which is scheduled to occur approximately two weeks after it arrives at the pad.

Elevated platforms are seen hanging on the side of Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in a view looking across from the turn basin. To the right is the large external tank barge. Workers, suspended on the platforms from the top of the 525-foot-high VAB, use rollers and brushes to do the painting. The flag and logo were last painted in 1998, honoring NASA's 40th anniversary. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23, 437 square feet. Each stripe is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The logo, also known as the "meatball," measures 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet.

On Oct. 27, 2020, in front of the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Bell Huey 2 (left) and Airbus H135 helicopters used for security operations at the Florida spaceport perform one flight together before the Hueys are retired from their service. The Airbus H135s are replacing the three Bell Huey 2 aircraft maintained by Kennedy’s Flight Operations team. Kennedy received two of the H135 aircraft on Sept. 30, and the third is expected to arrive in spring 2021. These new helicopters provide a number of technological and safety advantages over the Hueys, such as more lifting power, greater stability in the air, and expanded medical capabilities.

A construction worker wearing a safety harness and tethered lines turns a bolt to help secure the second half of the B-level work platforms, B north, for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, during installation in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The B platform is being installed on the north side of the high bay. The B platforms are the ninth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

NASA’s Artemis II hardware, the launch vehicle stage adapter, is inside High Bay 4 on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of rocket stacking operations. The cone shaped launch vehicle stage adapter connects the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket to the upper stage, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and protects the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices during launch and ascent during the Artemis missions.

On the Vehicle Assembly Building roof at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Kennedy Director Bob Cabana, far left, accompanies NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, second from left, and Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, on a tour of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on Aug. 28, 2020. The VAB is critical to the assembly of the Space Launch System rocket for NASA’s Artemis program. The Office of Management and Budget is working with the U.S. Congress to line up the necessary resources to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.

Teams lift the first stage of the Apollo 10 Saturn V rocket by crane inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 3, 1968, in preparation for stacking on the mobile launcher. The 138-foot-long stage generated 7.5 million pounds of thrust when it launched Apollo 10 astronauts Thomas P. Stafford, John W. Young, and Eugene A. Cernan. The mission launched on May 18, 1969, and was the first flight of a complete, crewed Apollo spacecraft to operate around the Moon.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program finish integrating the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the SLS (Space Launch System) launch vehicle stage adapter on Thursday, May 1, 2025, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four-story propulsion system, built by Boeing and ULA (United Launch Alliance), is powered by an RL10 engine that will enable the Orion spacecraft to build up enough speed for the push toward the Moon during the Artemis II crewed test flight.

A view of Moonikin “Campos” secured in a seat inside the Artemis I Orion crew module atop the Space Launch System rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 3, 2022. Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate NASA’s capability to extend human present to the Moon and beyond. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft’s integrated systems before crewed missions. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish sustainable lunar exploration.

A heavy-lift crane lowers the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be installed on the north side of High Bay 3. In view below are several of the previously installed levels of platforms. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

Encapsulated inside its payload fairing, the Cygnus spacecraft for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission moves past the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mounted atop a KAMAG transporter, Cygnus is being moved to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where it will be mounted atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22 to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station.

Painting of the NASA logo, also called the meatball, continues on the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 23, 2020. HM2 and H.I.S. Painting of Titusville, Florida, are repainting the meatball and the American Flag on the iconic building. The VAB was last painted in 2007 when the repairs were completed after 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne tore 845 panels off the building. It will take over 500 gallons of paint to paint the 209 X 110-foot flag and the 110’ X 132’ meatball.

A heavy-lift crane lifts the second half of the C-level work platforms, C north, for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, high up from the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The C platform will be moved into High Bay 3 for installation on the north side of High Bay 3. The C platforms are the eighth of 10 levels of work platforms that will surround and provide access to the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission 1. In view below Platform C are several of the previously installed platforms. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to VAB High Bay 3, including installation of the new work platforms, to prepare for NASA’s Journey to Mars.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion capsule atop, slowly makes its way down the crawlerway at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 17, 2022. Carried atop the crawler-transporter 2, NASA’s Moon rocket is venturing from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B for a wet dress rehearsal ahead of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. The first in an increasingly complex set of missions, Artemis I will test SLS and Orion as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone on the way to Mars.

NASA’s upgraded crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) travels along the crawlerway from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on its trek to Launch Pad 39B to test recently completed upgrades and modifications for NASA’s journey to Mars. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy oversaw upgrades to the crawler in the VAB. The crawler will carry the mobile launcher with Orion atop the Space Launch System rocket to Pad 39B for Exploration Mission-1, scheduled for 2018.

The first half of the F-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket has arrived at the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. The first three sets of platforms, H, J and K, were delivered to the center last year.

The 212-foot-long Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage pathfinder is inside the low bay of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Oct. 1, 2019. NASA's Pegasus Barge arrived at the Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 30, 2019, making its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived Sept. 27, 2019, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. The pathfinder will be used by the Exploration Ground Systems Program and their contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

On platforms suspended from the top of the 525-foot-high VAB, workers use rollers and brushes to repaint the U.S. flag on the southwest side of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The flag spans an area 209 feet by 110 feet, or about 23, 437 square feet. Each stripe is 9 feet wide and each star is 6 feet in diameter. The logo is also being painted. Known as the "meatball," the logo measures 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. The flag and logo were last painted in 1998, honoring NASA's 40th anniversary.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch stands inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on July 14, 2021, in front of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will power the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I mission later this year. Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test of Orion and SLS as an integrated system ahead of missions with astronauts. Under Artemis, NASA aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon and establish a long-lasting presence on and around the Moon while preparing for human missions to Mars.

This payload canister is being transported to Launch Pad 39A for a "fit check." At a later date, the canister will be used to transport to the pad the S3/S4 solar arrays that are the payload for mission STS-117. The mission will launch on Space Shuttle Atlantis for the 21st flight to the International Space Station, and the crew of six will continue the construction of station with the installation of the arrays. The launch of Atlantis is targeted for March 16.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA and Jacobs TOSC workers monitor the progress as a cover, called the spider, is attached to the top of the Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage pathfinder on Oct. 3, 2019. With the spider secured in place, a crane will be attached to it to lift the pathfinder into the vertical position. The 212-foot-long core stage pathfinder arrived in NASA's Pegasus Barge at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf on Sept. 27, 2019. The Pegasus Barge made its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency's Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived, ferrying the SLS core stage pathfinder, a full-scale mock-up of the rocket's core stage. It will be used by Exploration Ground Systems and its contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

A heavy load transport truck from Tillett Heavy Hauling in Titusville, Florida, arrives in a staging area near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the second half of the A-level work platforms, A north, for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This is the final platform delivered to Kennedy. The A-level platforms are the topmost platforms for High Bay 3 in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The platform will be delivered to the VAB staging area in the west parking lot. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing.

A new service platform for NASA's Space Launch System booster engines has been offloaded from a flatbed truck and is being prepared for the move into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from fabricator Met-Con Inc. in Cocoa, Florida. It will be stored in the VAB, and used for processing and checkout of the engines for the rocket's twin five-segment solid rocket boosters for Exploration Mission-1. EM-1 will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it back to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

From left to right, Jim Keys, Pilot; Christina Korp, Assistant to Charlie Duke; Nicole Stott, NASA Astronaut (former); Dottie Duke, wife of Charlie Duke, Charlie Duke, NASA Astronaut (former); and Lili Villareal, Operations Flow Manager, Exploration Ground Systems tour the inside of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) during a visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 10, 2021. Visible in the background are the aft booster segments for the Space Launch System. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test Orion and SLS as an integrated system prior to crewed flights to the Moon.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Endurance spacecraft atop, lifts off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on Oct. 5, 2022, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-5 launch. Inside Endurance are NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, commander; Josh Cassada, pilot; and Mission Specialists Koichi Wakata, of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina. The crew is heading to the International Space Station for a science expedition mission as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Liftoff occurred at noon EDT.

Painting of the NASA logo, also called the meatball, continues on the 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 22, 2020. HM2 and H.I.S. Painting of Titusville, Florida, are repainting the meatball and the American Flag on the iconic building. The VAB was last painted in 2007, when repairs were completed after the 2004 Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne tore 845 panels off the building. It will take over 500 gallons of paint to paint the 209-by-110-foot flag and the 110-by-132-foot meatball. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing upgrades to the VAB to support the launch of the SLS and Orion for Artemis missions. Under the Artemis program, NASA will send the first woman and next man to the Moon.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs move the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, June 19, 2021. After being fueled and serviced inside the Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF), the ICPS will be hoisted into place atop the SLS core stage while its Aerojet Rocketdyne-built RL-10 engine will be protected inside the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) on the mobile launcher in preparation for the launch of Artemis I. The ICPS will provide Orion spacecraft with the push needed for its flight around the Moon. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test SLS and the Orion spacecraft as an integrated system prior to crewed flights in which NASA will land the first woman and person of color on the Moon.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, speaks to attendees during a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2020, to recognize the Vehicle Assembly Building with the National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark award. The Florida Section American Society of Civil Engineers nominated the historic building and bestowed the award. The VAB is the first building at Kennedy Space Center to earn this distinction. At the time of its completion, the 129-million-cubic-foot structure was the largest building in the world. Originally designed and built to accommodate the Saturn V/Apollo used in Project Apollo, the VAB was later modified for its role in the Space Shuttle Program.

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the left-hand center booster segment for Artemis I is lowered onto the aft booster segment on the mobile launcher for the Space Launch System (SLS) on Jan. 7, 2021. Workers with Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs teams will stack the twin five-segment boosters on the mobile launcher in High Bay 3 over a number of weeks. When the core stage arrives, it will join the boosters on the mobile launcher, followed by the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. Manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, the twin boosters provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust at launch. The SLS is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS as an integrated system ahead of crewed flights to the Moon.