NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) will carry astronauts to the moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis project and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine gave the public a first view of the most powerful rocket ever built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage is the powerhouse of the SLS rocket, with five major structures: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank and engine section. Read more for a video and additional information.
Assembling and integrating the massive stage, along with its four RS-25 engines, have been a collaborative, multi-step process for NASA and its partners Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, the RS-25 engines lead contractor.
The completion of the SLS core stage is a major milestone and a testament to American enterprise and ingenuity. With more than 1,100 large and small businesses in 44 states contributing to the design and assembly, the SLS rocket will empower America to achieve the Artemis program’s goal of landing the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
