NASA’s Artemis III mission continues with the completion of major stages of the SLS rocket, setting the stage for future lunar and deep space exploration missions, including sending the first woman and black man to the Moon. While NASA is working to develop all the systems needed to send astronauts back to the moon as part of the Artemis campaign, for the benefit of everyone, the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket will be responsible for launching the astronauts on their journey.

With the liquid oxygen tank now fully welded, all major structures that will form the core stage of the SLS rocket for the agency’s Artemis III mission are ready for replacement. The equipment will be part of the rocket used in the first of the Artemis missions, which plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface near the Moon’s South Pole. On January 8, technicians completed welding the 15-foot liquid oxygen tank structure in the vertical assembly building at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

Preparation and manufacture of rockets

Another giant megarocket fuel tank (liquid hydrogen tank) is already a completely welded structure. NASA and Boeing, the prime contractor for the SLS main stage, are currently refueling the tank in another room within the Vertical Assembly Building called Building 131, the cryogenic tank thermal protection system and staging complex. He completed the internal cleanup on 14 November.

Hardware fabrication is a multi-step process that involves welding, washing, and then installing the hardware. The interior cleaning process is similar to a shower to ensure that contaminants do not enter complex power plants and engine systems prior to filling.

Once the interior cleaning is complete, an automated robotic tool applies a primer to the exterior parts of the tank hull and domes. After lining the vehicle, technicians apply a foam-based thermal protection system to protect the vehicle from the extreme temperatures it will encounter during takeoff and flight and to regulate the supercooled fuel inside.

Support for deep space research

“NASA and its partners are machining key hardware elements at Michoud for multiple SLS rockets in parallel in support of the agency’s Artemis campaign,” said Chad Bryant, acting director of the Theater Office for NASA’s SLS program. “As the Artemis II core stage approaches completion, the major structural elements of the SLS core stage for Artemis III will enter production at the facility.”

The rocket’s two massive fuel tanks together hold more than 733,000 gallons of supercooled fuel. The fuel powers four RS-25 engines and must be extremely cold to remain liquid.

The main stage, along with its RS-25 engines, will produce two million pounds of thrust to help NASA’s Orion spacecraft launch astronauts and supplies beyond Earth orbit and to the lunar surface for Artemis III. SLS is the only rocket capable of sending Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in one go.

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts, including the first woman, first person of color, and first international astronaut partner, to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic gain, and the foundation of a human mission to Mars. SLS is part of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Highway, along with the Orion spacecraft, Research Ground Systems, Advanced Space Suits and Rovers, Gateway, and Human Landing Systems.