Moon rocket stage delivered to the Cape
Core Stage 2 arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, marking a milestone for Artemis II mission.
Core Stage 2 arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, marking a milestone for Artemis II mission.
After aÌýÌýfrom NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans aboard the historic Pegasus barge, the ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ-built core stage, which powers the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis campaign, was delivered to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, this week and transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).Ìý
Why it matters:ÌýThe delivery and transport of the stage to KSC in marks a transition from manufacturing to launch readiness for the rocket.ÌýThis core stage will power the Artemis II mission and carry the first woman and person of color to lunar orbit no earlier than September 2025.Ìý
What’s next:ÌýNow safely inside the VAB, the core stage will go throughÌýÌýahead of integration with the upper stage, boosters, and NASA’s Orion spacecraft.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket – the nation’s next-generation, super heavy-lift rocket – will enable NASA’s Artemis program and will carry people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond. ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ 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 ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ-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 ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ-built core stages, upper stages (including Exploration Upper Stage) and avionics for future Artemis missions. Learn more about the SLS.
