Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage arrives at KSC

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 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:

• Largest rocket stage NASA has ever produced: 64.6 metres high, 8.4 metres in diameter
• Covered with orange spray-on foam to insulate the cryogenic propellants (2.7 million litres of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen)
• Designed to operate for approximately 480 seconds, reaching nearly Mach 23 and more than 161.5 kilometres in altitude before it separates from the upper stage and Orion spacecraft
• Contains the vehicle’s avionics, including flight computers, cameras, batteries, power and data handling, sensors and other electronics