Pieces of hardware for the Orion pressure vessel for NASA’s Artemis ll mission are in view inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 17, 2019. Orion is being prepared for the first crewed test flight atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Artemis ll will lift off from Launch Complex 39B. The mission will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

The Orion pressure vessel for NASA’s Artemis ll mission is in view in a processing stand inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Sept. 17, 2019. Orion is being prepared for the first crewed test flight atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Artemis ll will lift off from Launch Complex 39B. The mission will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

The Orion pressure vessel for NASA’s Artemis ll mission is in a processing stand inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Sept. 17, 2019. Orion is being prepared for the first crewed test flight atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Artemis ll will lift off from Launch Complex 39B. The mission will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

A close-up view of a cover over one of the windows on the Orion pressure vessel for NASA’s Artemis ll mission inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Sept. 17, 2019. Orion is being prepared for the first crewed test flight atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Artemis ll will lift off from Launch Complex 39B. The mission will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

The Orion pressure vessel for NASA’s Artemis ll mission is in a processing stand inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay on Sept. 17, 2019. Orion is being prepared for the first crewed test flight atop the agency’s Space Launch System rocket. Artemis ll will lift off from Launch Complex 39B. The mission will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

The heat shield for Orion’s Artemis ll, NASA’s first crewed mission, is inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 17, 2019. The heat shield, measuring roughly 16 feet in diameter, will protect astronauts upon re-entry. The heat shield is a base titanium truss structure. Technicians will apply Avcoat, an ablative material that will provide the thermal protection needed to withstand the harsh environment of space and during re-entry. Artemis ll will confirm all of the spacecraft’s systems operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space with astronauts aboard.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans perform “breakover” operations on a liquid oxygen tank in the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 22, 2025. During the breakover, teams lifted the tank from its vertical configuration inside of a production cell and set it horizontally atop self-propelled mobile transporters for transfer to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

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 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 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

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 28, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is being lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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 a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 28, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is being lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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 a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 28, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is being lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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 a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 28, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is being lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket inside the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 28, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is being lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move a liquid hydrogen tank for the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket into the factory’s vertical assembly building on Sep. 26, 2025. The tank, which is designated for the agency’s Artemis III mission, is lifted and loaded into a production cell where it will be mated with the LH2 Transport Adapter Assembly for future transportation to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The engine section flight hardware structure was completed in 2022 and was shipped to Kennedy where teams continue to integrate vital systems. 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 a liquid oxygen tank out of the facility’s vertical assembly building on Aug. 27, 2025. Using self-propelled mobile transporters teams transferred the tank to the final assembly production area. There, it will undergo integration of the forward dome by SLS (Space Launch System) prime contractor, Boeing. Eventually, the liquid oxygen tank will be moved back to the high bay where it will be mated with the intertank and forward skirt to complete the forward join of the Artemis III core stage. 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans use a heavy-lift mobile transport apparatus to move a 51-foot-tall liquid oxygen tank out of the vertical assembly building and into the main rocket factory on June 11. The liquidoxygen tank will form part of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis IV mission to the Moon. 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 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, ronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis.

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

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

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the forward skirt, which will be used on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, into the vertical assembly center on Dec. 2. Inside the tooling, the forward skirt receives its forward and aft rings through a circumferential friction-stir welding process. Seven rings are used in the production of the core stage. They provide stiffening for the dome structures on the propellant tanks and, as on the forward skirt, serve as attachment points for the major components to form the SLS core stage. The forward skirt 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the forward skirt, which will be used on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, into the vertical assembly center on Dec. 2. Inside the tooling, the forward skirt receives its forward and aft rings through a circumferential friction-stir welding process. Seven rings are used in the production of the core stage. They provide stiffening for the dome structures on the propellant tanks and, as on the forward skirt, serve as attachment points for the major components to form the SLS core stage. The forward skirt 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the forward skirt, which will be used on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, into the vertical assembly center on Dec. 2. Inside the tooling, the forward skirt receives its forward and aft rings through a circumferential friction-stir welding process. Seven rings are used in the production of the core stage. They provide stiffening for the dome structures on the propellant tanks and, as on the forward skirt, serve as attachment points for the major components to form the SLS core stage. The forward skirt 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.

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans move the forward skirt, which will be used on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s core stage for the agency’s Artemis IV mission, into the vertical assembly center on Dec. 2. Inside the tooling, the forward skirt receives its forward and aft rings through a circumferential friction-stir welding process. Seven rings are used in the production of the core stage. They provide stiffening for the dome structures on the propellant tanks and, as on the forward skirt, serve as attachment points for the major components to form the SLS core stage. The forward skirt 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans lift the intertank of the SLS (Space Launch System)’s core stage for NASA’s Artemis III mission to move it to another location in the 43-acre factory for further inspection and production. The intertank is the backbone of the rocket’s core stage and is located between the mega rocket’s liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. In addition to joining the rocket’s two massive propellant tanks, the intertank houses avionics and electronics and serves as an attachment point for the rocket’s two solid rocket boosters positioned on either side of the core stage. The liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank hold 733,000 gallons of super-cold propellant to power the stage’s four RS-25 engines needed for liftoff. Together, the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters provide more than 8.8 million pounds to launch NASA’s and Artemis missions to the Moon. 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.

Nathan Varn, Program Director Orion Productions for Lockheed Martin, left, and Scott Wilson, NASA’s Division Chief, Orion Production Operations Office, lead a tour for Artemis II crew members and their families of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen toured the facility with their families and viewed the Orion crew modules, including the spacecraft that will take them, along with Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover and Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, around the Moon and back during the Artemis II mission.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Space Launch System Corestage-1 (Artemis-1) in production at the Michoud Assembly Faclility in New Orleans.

Nathan Varn, far left, Program Director Orion Productions for Lockheed Martin, and Scott Wilson, far right, NASA’s Division Chief, Orion Production Operations Office, lead a tour for Artemis II crew members and their families of the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Friday, March 15, 2024. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman and Artemis II Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen toured the facility with their families and viewed the Orion crew modules, including the spacecraft that will take them, along with Artemis II Pilot Victor Glover and Artemis II Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, around the Moon and back during the Artemis II mission.

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility lift the aft liquid oxygen tank (LOX) barrel out of the Vertical Weld Center (VWC) for its next phase of production. The aft barrel will eventually be mated with the forward barrel and the forward and aft domes to form the LOX tank, which will be used in the Space Launch System’s (SLS) Artemis IV mission. The LOX tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen to help fuel four RS-25 engines. 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 liquid oxygen hardware, along with the liquid hydrogen tank will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. 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. Photographed on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility lift the aft liquid oxygen tank (LOX) barrel out of the Vertical Weld Center (VWC) for its next phase of production. The aft barrel will eventually be mated with the forward barrel and the forward and aft domes to form the LOX tank, which will be used in the Space Launch System’s (SLS) Artemis IV mission. The LOX tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen to help fuel four RS-25 engines. 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 liquid oxygen hardware, along with the liquid hydrogen tank will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. 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. Photographed on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility lift the aft liquid oxygen tank (LOX) barrel out of the Vertical Weld Center (VWC) for its next phase of production. The aft barrel will eventually be mated with the forward barrel and the forward and aft domes to form the LOX tank, which will be used in the Space Launch System’s (SLS) Artemis IV mission. The LOX tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen to help fuel four RS-25 engines. 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 liquid oxygen hardware, along with the liquid hydrogen tank will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. 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. Photographed on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Move crews at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility lift the aft liquid oxygen tank (LOX) barrel out of the Vertical Weld Center (VWC) for its next phase of production. The aft barrel will eventually be mated with the forward barrel and the forward and aft domes to form the LOX tank, which will be used in the Space Launch System’s (SLS) Artemis IV mission. The LOX tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid oxygen to help fuel four RS-25 engines. 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 liquid oxygen hardware, along with the liquid hydrogen tank will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon. 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. Photographed on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Image credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker