Space Launch System Corestage-2 Liquid Hydrogen(LH2) tank is under construction at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility. Here you can see 1 of 5 barrels being loaded in the Vertical Assembly Center tool where it will be welded.

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SpaceX Falcon 9/COTS 2 Launch, DD029-203

Sentinel-6A in Its Clean Room

The Sentinel-6A spacecraft sits in its clean room in Germany's IABG space test center. The satellite is being prepared for a scheduled launch in November 2020 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The spacecraft is part of Sentinel-6/Jason-CS, a 10-year mission by U.S and European agencies that will continue to study rising sea levels. The mission consists of two identical satellites, Sentinel-6A and Sentinel-6B, launching five years apart and follows in the footsteps of four other joint U.S.-European satellite missions — TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1, Ocean Surface Topography/Jason-2, and Jason-3 — that over the past three decades have documented Earth's oceans rising by an average of 0.1 inches (3 millimeters) per year. Sentinel-6/Jason-CS will study not just sea level change but also changes in ocean circulation, climate variability such as El Niño and La Niña, and weather patterns, including hurricanes and storms. It is being jointly developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellite (EUMETSAT), NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with funding support from the European Commission and support from France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). NASA's contributions to the Sentinel-6 mission are science instrument payloads for the two Sentinel-6 satellites, launch services for those satellites, ground systems supporting the science instruments operations and support for the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23549

Space Launch System Corestage-2 Engine Section is lifted into a thrust structure tool at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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Space Launch System Corestage-2 (Artemis-2) Liquid Oxygen tank is under work at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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Space Launch System Corestage-2 Forward Skirt is prepped to receive spray-on foam insulation(SOFI) at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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Space Launch System Corestage-2 (Artemis-2) Forward Skirt after recieiving spray-on foam insulation(SOFI) at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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Space Launch System Corestage-2 (Artemis-2) Liquid Oxygen tank is lifted out a of a work cell at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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CoreStage-2 Hardware Update 7-18-19

Space Launch System Corestage-2 Forward Skirt is prepped to recieve spray-on foam insulation(SOFI) at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility.

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The Front of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite (Illustration)

This illustration shows the front of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft in orbit above Earth with its deployable solar panels extended. As the world's latest ocean-monitoring satellite, it is launching on Nov. 10, 2020, to collect the most accurate data yet on global sea level and how our oceans are rising in response to climate change. The mission will also collect precise data of atmospheric temperature and humidity that will help improve weather forecasts and climate models. The conelike instrument on the bottom (Earth-facing side) of the spacecraft is the satellite's Poseidon-4 radar altimeter. The disklike instrument at the front of the spacecraft is the Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR-C). Both instruments will be used together to measure ocean surface height. The gray rectangle with six cones attached at the front-left of the spacecraft is part of the Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) instrument. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich extends the near-30-year record of satellite measurements of sea level initiated by the U.S.-European TOPEX/Poseidon mission in 1992 and that continued with the Jason-1, 2, and 3 series of sea level observation satellites. Launched in 2016, Jason-3 is currently providing data. The satellite is named after Dr. Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division and an instrumental figure in advancing ocean observations from space. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is one of two identical spacecraft that compose the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission developed in partnership with ESA (the European Space Agency). Other partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the intergovernmental European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). ESA is developing the new Sentinel family of missions to support the operational needs of the European Union's Copernicus program, the EU's Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. The spacecraft's twin, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24106

The Rear of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite (Illustration)

This illustration shows the rear of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft in orbit above Earth with its deployable solar panels extended. As the world's latest ocean-monitoring satellite, it is launching on Nov. 10, 2020, to collect the most accurate data yet on global sea level and how our oceans are rising in response to climate change. The mission will also collect precise data of atmospheric temperature and humidity that will help improve weather forecasts and climate models. The conelike instrument on the bottom (Earth-facing side) of the spacecraft is the satellite's Poseidon-4 radar altimeter. When used with the Advanced Microwave Radiometer (AMR-C) attached to the front of the spacecraft, both instruments will be used to make precise measurements of sea surface height. The gray rectangle with 12 cones attached at the rear-left of the spacecraft is part of the Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) instrument. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich extends the near-30-year record of satellite measurements of sea level initiated by the U.S.-European TOPEX/Poseidon mission in 1992 and that continued with the Jason-1, 2, and 3 series of sea level observation satellites. Launched in 2016, Jason-3 is currently providing data. The satellite is named after Dr. Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division and an instrumental figure in advancing ocean observations from space. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is one of two identical spacecraft that compose the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission developed in partnership with ESA (the European Space Agency). Other partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the intergovernmental European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). ESA is developing the new Sentinel family of missions to support the operational needs of the European Union's Copernicus program, the EU's Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. The spacecraft's twin, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24107

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite Orbits Earth (Illustration)

This illustration shows the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft in orbit above Earth with its deployable solar panels extended. As the world's latest ocean-monitoring satellite, it will collect the most accurate data yet on global sea level and how our oceans are rising in response to climate change. The mission will also collect precise data of atmospheric temperature and humidity that will help improve weather forecasts and climate models. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich extends the near-30-year record of satellite measurements of sea level that was initiated by the U.S.-European TOPEX/Poseidon mission in 1992 and continued with the Jason-1, 2, and 3 series of sea level observation satellites. Launched in 2016, Jason-3 is currently providing data. The satellite is named after Dr. Michael Freilich, the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division and an instrumental figure in advancing ocean observations from space. Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is one of two identical spacecraft that compose the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission developed in partnership with ESA (the European Space Agency). Other partners include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the intergovernmental European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). ESA is developing the new Sentinel family of missions to support the operational needs of the European Union's Copernicus program, the EU's Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. The spacecraft's twin, Sentinel-6B, will launch in 2025. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA24105

Comparing Sea Level During El Niño Events

These three maps based on satellite data show sea levels in the Pacific Ocean during developing El Niño events in early October of 1997, 2015, and 2023. Higher-than-average ocean heights are shown in red and white, while lower-than-average heights are blue and purple. The two earlier maps represent the two extreme El Niño events from the past 30 years – the first from 1997 to 1998 and the second from 2015 to 2016. Both caused shifts in global air and ocean temperatures, atmospheric wind and rainfall patterns, and sea level. El Niños are characterized by higher-than-normal sea levels and warmer-than-average ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific. Water expands as it warms, so sea levels tend to be higher in places with warmer water. These temperature and sea level conditions can then propagate poleward along the western coasts of the Americas. El Niños can bring wetter conditions to the U.S. Southwest and drought to regions in the western Pacific, including Indonesia. Not all El Niño events are created equal, however, and their impacts vary widely. Satellites like the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, which captured the 2023 data, help anticipate those impacts on a global scale by tracking changes in sea surface height in the Pacific Ocean. The TOPEX/Poseidon satellite collected the 1997 data while Jason-2 collected data for the 2015 event. This year's El Niño is still developing, but researchers are looking to the recent past for clues as to how it is shaping up. By October 1997 and 2015, large areas of the central and eastern Pacific had sea levels more than 7 inches (18 centimeters) higher than normal. This year, sea levels are about 2 or 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) higher than normal and are elevated over a smaller area compared to the 1997 and 2015 events. Both of the past El Niños reached peak strength in late November or early December, so this year's event may still intensify. Launched in November 2020, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is named after former NASA Earth Science Division Director Michael Freilich. The satellite is one of two that compose the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission. Animation available at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26099

Artemis II Engine Section Moves to Final Assembly

On May 24, 2022, the core stage production team moved the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine section for Artemis II to the core stage final integration area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. While there, the engine section team is completing installation of the main propulsion systems, finishing integration of the electrical and avionics systems, and preparing for functional testing of the various systems. During final integration, the team also will install remaining internal thermal protection systems and prepare to position the engine section from vertical to horizontal so that it can be joined with the rest of the core stage. The engine section is located at the bottom of the core stage and includes the rocket’s main propulsion systems that connect to the core stage’s four RS-25 engines that will help launch the Artemis II lunar mission. This fall, the engine section will be horizontally integrated with the previously-joined forward assembly and liquid hydrogen tank to complete the core stage. NASA and core stage lead contractor Boeing are building core stages for the next three Artemis missions. The 212-foot core stage with its RS-25 engines will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch. With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish long-term exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

Artemis II Engine Section Moves to Final Assembly

On May 24, 2022, the core stage production team moved the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engine section for Artemis II to the core stage final integration area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. While there, the engine section team is completing installation of the main propulsion systems, finishing integration of the electrical and avionics systems, and preparing for functional testing of the various systems. During final integration, the team also will install remaining internal thermal protection systems and prepare to position the engine section from vertical to horizontal so that it can be joined with the rest of the core stage. The engine section is located at the bottom of the core stage and includes the rocket’s main propulsion systems that connect to the core stage’s four RS-25 engines that will help launch the Artemis II lunar mission. This fall, the engine section will be horizontally integrated with the previously-joined forward assembly and liquid hydrogen tank to complete the core stage. NASA and core stage lead contractor Boeing are building core stages for the next three Artemis missions. The 212-foot core stage with its RS-25 engines will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust at launch. With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon and establish long-term exploration in preparation for missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial human landing system and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.