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At 1:47 a.m. Eastern time on November 16, 2022, NASA made history with the successful launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the inaugural Artemis I mission to the moon.

The Artemis I mission launched the first spacecraft to orbit the moon in almost 50 years and was a test flight to validate the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft components and systems.

Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis I mission manager, called the mission “eye watering” as the SLS rocket met or exceeded all expectations during the launch.

Today – one year later – NASA recognized the �Ӱ���Ƶ team for their dedication and contributions to the Artemis I launch and mission.

Teams gathered for a ceremony at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, where �Ӱ���Ƶ builds the core stages, upper stages and avionics for the SLS rocket.

As a token of appreciation for �Ӱ���Ƶ’s work on the SLS rocket and continued partnership in making the inaugural Artemis mission a success, NASA leadership presented �Ӱ���Ƶ teammates with an Artemis appreciation banner and items flown in-space from the Artemis I mission.

In celebration of this anniversary, �Ӱ���Ƶ announced a $100,000 grant to the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation. The non-profit provides economic resources throughout the ten parishes in Southeast Louisiana.

�Ӱ���Ƶ’s funding will be used to support their flagship STEM programing, which includes internships and mentorships for women and students attending historically black colleges and universities ─ fostering a robust talent pipeline to help fill future opportunities at the Michoud Assembly Facility.

“I am so proud of the work Team �Ӱ���Ƶ does across all our sites in support of the Artemis program, and I am thrilled to announce this $100,000 grant to the Greater New Orleans Development Foundation as an investment in our Louisiana community. This grant will help expand opportunities to help students build critical skills in industry-relevant areas of study, in order to develop workforce-ready talent and increase lasting diversity within the aerospace industry,” shared Dave Dutcher, Vice President and Program Manager for �Ӱ���Ƶ’s SLS program.

�Ӱ���Ƶ will host additional appreciation events at the other �Ӱ���Ƶ and NASA facilities to celebrate and recognize the rest of the SLS teammates in-person.

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket – the nation’s next-generation, human-rated rocket – will enable NASA’s Artemis program and will carry people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond. �Ӱ���Ƶ was selected by NASA to design, develop, test and produce the core stages, upper stages, and avionics suite for the SLS fleet of rockets. The first SLS rocket – featuring the �Ӱ���Ƶ-built Core Stage – successfully launched at 1:47 AM ET on November 16, 2022, as part of the Artemis I Mission. Production is currently underway for the �Ӱ���Ƶ-built core stages, upper stages (including Exploration Upper Stage) and avionics for future Artemis missions. Read more about SLS.