ASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission arrived at Kennedy Space Center, having been transported from Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
This crucial component, integral for the first crewed flight around the Moon with the Orion spacecraft, spent seven days in transit through the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.
NASA’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage for the Artemis II mission arrived on Tuesday, July 23, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The core stage will help power SLS when it launches four astronauts around the Moon for the first crewed flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II test flight.
The core stage, aboard NASA’s Pegasus barge, traveled from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and spent seven days coasting through the Gulf of Mexico and then the Atlantic Ocean before arriving at NASA Kennedy’s Complex 39 turn basin wharf.
The 212-foot-tall SLS core stage, its propellant tanks, avionics, flight computer systems, and four RS-25 engines, were manufactured and assembled at NASA Michoud. Now, teams with NASA Kennedy’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will prepare the rocket stage for integration ahead of launch.
The only rocket that can send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon on a single launch is the Space Launch System. Its core stage provides more than two million pounds of thrust and the whole rocket provides 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch Artemis II to the Moon.
Up next, the core stage will roll to NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where teams will process it until it is ready for rocket stacking operations.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) represents a critical component in the United States’ contemporary space exploration framework, designed as the most powerful rocket ever built. This colossal launch vehicle is engineered to enable astronauts and large payloads to undertake deep space missions, including trips to the Moon and potentially Mars. The SLS is a key part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface and establish a sustainable presence there. Its development leverages technology and infrastructure from the Space Shuttle and other exploration programs, thus embodying a blend of proven engineering and cutting-edge advancements.
The SLS rocket comprises several parts, including a core stage that houses the rocket’s main engines and fuel tanks, solid rocket boosters for additional thrust, and an upper stage that varies depending on the mission’s specific requirements. The core stage of the SLS is equipped with four RS-25 engines, remnants of the Space Shuttle program, which together generate incredible power to lift heavy payloads into space. Capable of producing up to 8.8 million pounds of thrust, the SLS can carry more than 27 metric tons to orbits beyond the Moon, making it a cornerstone in NASA’s strategy for deep space exploration and science missions.
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