The backbone of Artemis III is moving toward the coast

Space · Published 14 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is moving from the assembly floor to the launchpad. The core stage, a massive feat of engineering, recently passed a rigorous technical review, proving it can meet mission requirements while staying on schedule and within budget for the next era of lunar exploration.

The SLS core stage represents the primary structural and propulsion component of NASA's flagship rocket. It is designed to propel the Orion spacecraft into orbit, providing the necessary power to eventually return humans to the lunar surface. A major technical review recently confirmed that the core stage meets all system requirements within acceptable risk parameters, maintaining the project's timeline and financial constraints. The first uncrewed flight test of the SLS is slated for 2017. This milestone will propel an Orion spacecraft beyond the moon.

The core stage is a massive assembly, standing 212 feet tall once completed. It consists of the top four-fifths of the rocket, which includes the liquid hydrogen tank, the liquid oxygen tank, the intertank, and the forward skirt. Over 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant can be contained within these pair of tanks. The core stage is the largest section of the entire rocket. It is the primary structural component of the flagship vehicle.

During flight, this fuel powers four RS-25 engines, producing over 2 million pounds of thrust for more than eight minutes. This hardware is currently transitioning from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida via the Pegasus barge. The logistics involve specialized transporters to maneuver the top four-fifths of the stage. Once in Florida, the Exploration Ground Systems Program will perform vertical integration and stacking. This collaborative effort between Boeing, which handles design and assembly, and L3Harris Technologies, which manufactures the RS-25 engines, is a critical step toward the Artemis III mission, scheduled for 2027. The transit involves moving the hardware from the New Orleans facility to the Florida coast. This move marks a significant step toward the first crewed lunar landing in two years.

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