Artemis III Liquid Oxygen Tank Completes Production Milestones

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans successfully completed hydrostatic proof testing of the core stage liquid oxygen tank for the agency’s Artemis III mission. The non-destructive evaluation method tests the structural integrity of the tank’s welds by filling the tank with water, simulating the propellant used during launch. The hardware was then moved to an adjacent cell for internal cleaning. Next, the tank will be readied for primer and application of its thermal protection system. 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 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