Artemis II milestone: Space Launch System rocket core stage arrives at Kennedy Space Center
Artemis II crewmembers Reid Wiseman and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose with the fully assembled Space Launch System (SLS) core stage at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (Credit: NASA)
2024-07-24
On July 16, Artemis II crewmembers Reid Wiseman and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen joined NASA officials and workers, as well as industry and US Government representatives, at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. They gathered to celebrate a key milestone for the Artemis II mission: the unveiling and roll-out of the fully assembled SLS core stage. Standing nearly 65 metres tall, the core stage will help launch the Orion spacecraft and the Artemis II crew around the Moon.
The SLS core stage was loaded onto NASA's Pegasus barge and transported to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it arrived on July 23 and was unloaded the next day. There, it will be prepared for integration with the rocket's two solid rocket boosters, which will provide over 75% of the rocket's thrust during the first two minutes of flight.
The SLS core stage arrives on the Pegasus barge at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (Credit: NASA)
The SLS is an important part of deep-space exploration, being the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission, highlighting its critical role in future lunar missions.
About the SLS core stage:
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