The Third SLS Rocket Has Begun Taking Shape at KSC!

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

Artemis III Booster Stacking Coverage - LH Aft Assembly (Photo Release)

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems lowered and secured the left-hand aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Mobile Launcher at the agency’s Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

The twin boosters, manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, will provide more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s total thrust at launch.

The Artemis III mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Ben Smegelsky