NASA Readies Artemis II Liquid Hydrogen Tank for Next Phase of Manufacturing

This image highlights the liquid oxygen tank, which will be used on the core stage of NASA’ Space Launch System rocket for Atremis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank, and the engine section. The forward skirt houses flight computers, cameras, and avionics systems. The liquid oxygen tan holds 196,000 gallons of liquid oxygen cooled to -297°F. The LOX hardware sits between the core stage’s forward skirt and the intertank; and along with the liquid hydrogen tank, it will fuel four RS-25 engines to produce two million pounds of thrust. 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 can send astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission.