At KSC, Work Continues on a Major Flight Component for the Third SLS Rocket...

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

Artemis III Engine Section Photo Op (Photo Release - June 15)

The engine section for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the Artemis III mission is being processed inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 15. NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, are installing tubing within the structure.

The engine section is one of five major elements that makes up the SLS rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage. It houses the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and vital systems for mounting, controlling and delivering fuel from the stage’s two massive liquid propellant tanks to the engines.

The engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help to power the Artemis missions to the Moon. NASA’s Pegasus barge delivered the SLS engine section for Artemis III from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in December 2022.

Beginning with Artemis III, technicians at the spaceport will finish outfitting the engine section before integrating it with the rest of the rocket stage. In tandem, teams at Michoud will continue to manufacture the major core stage structures.

NASA’s mega-Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, will use its powerful capability to launch Orion’s crew to space. Under Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities, and inspire the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.

Source: NASA.Gov