NASA has taken another major step toward returning astronauts to the Moon, rolling out the core stage of the rocket that will power the next crewed lunar mission under the Artemis programme.
Engineers transported the massive central section of the Space Launch System from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on 20th April, loading it onto the Pegasus barge for shipment to Kennedy Space Center, where final assembly will take place. The milestone comes shortly after the successful completion of Artemis II, which sent astronauts around the Moon earlier this month.
Preparing For a 2027 Launch
The core stage represents the largest and most powerful element of the rocket system that will carry astronauts on Artemis III, currently targeted for launch in 2027. Once fully assembled, the stage will stand 212 feet (64.6 metres) tall, forming the proverbial backbone of the launch vehicle that will propel the Orion spacecraft into orbit.
NASA officials say the section that departed New Orleans includes the rocket’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks, along with structural components known as the intertank and forward skirt. Together, these elements will hold more than 733,000 gallons of super-chilled propellant to fuel four RS-25 engines during launch. When fully integrated, the stage is expected to operate for more than eight minutes. It will generate over 2 million pounds of thrust to send astronauts toward the Moon.
“Seeing this SLS rocket hardware roll out is a powerful reminder of our progress toward returning humans to the lunar surface,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This is the backbone of Artemis III. As it heads to Florida for final integration, we are one step closer to testing the critical capabilities needed to land Americans on the Moon, and ultimately, paving the way for our first crewed missions to Mars.”
Under current plans, the Artemis III mission will launch astronauts into Earth orbit aboard the Orion spacecraft, where they will conduct rendezvous and docking tests with commercial lunar landers developed by private partners. These systems are intended to support future missions aimed at landing humans near the Moon’s south pole and eventually establishing a sustained presence on the lunar surface.
Construction and delivery of the rocket stage involve collaboration between major aerospace contractors, with Boeing responsible for overall assembly and L3Harris Technologies producing the engines. After arrival in Florida, teams will complete outfitting and stack the rocket’s components in readiness for launch.
With hardware now on the move and integration work set to begin, NASA’s next crewed lunar mission has moved one step closer.