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On July 16, 2024, the first core stage of NASA\u2019s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the agency\u2019s Artemis II mission began a journey from NASA\u2019s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage was moved onto the agency\u2019s Pegasus barge, where it will be ferried 900 miles to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once at Kennedy, engineers will prepare it in the Vehicle Assembly Building for attachment to other rocket and Orion spacecraft elements.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0SLS\u00a0rocket\u2019s core stage is the largest NASA has ever produced. At 212 feet tall, it consists of five major elements, including two huge propellant tanks that collectively hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled liquid propellant to feed four RS-25 engines. During launch and flight, the stage will operate for just over eight minutes, producing more than 2 million pounds of thrust to propel four astronauts inside NASA\u2019s\u00a0Orion\u00a0spacecraft toward the Moon.<\/p>\n
Watch a timelapse video of the SLS core stage rollout.<\/p>\n