NASA is upgrading Kennedy Space Center facilities to support the assembly of SLS rockets for the Artemis missions, which aim to land the next astronauts on the moon, using innovative technologies to improve the assembly process.
NASA is upgrading Kennedy Space Center facilities to support the assembly of the SLS rocket for the Artemis missions, with the goal of sending the next astronauts to the moon.
The preparations include tools for vertical assembly to improve the efficiency of the assembly process, thus combining several locations such as the Micho assembly plant in New Orleans and the Stennis Center for the production of the various stages of the missile.
Preparations at the Kennedy Space Center for Artemis missions
NASA is preparing the area at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the assembly of the main stage of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions, starting with Artemis 3.
Crews are currently equipping the High Bay 2 assembly area, where the vertical assembly of the main rocket stage will take place, which will help propel the Artemis campaign to the Moon. During the Apollo project, the High Bay 2 area was used to assemble the Saturn V rocket, and in the space shuttle program it was used to test and maintain the external fuel tanks.
Vertical assembly and integration of the SLS rocket
Michigan-based Futuramic is building tools to hold the rocket's center stage in a vertical position, allowing NASA and Boeing, the center stage's prime contractor, to assemble the rocket parts and combine the four RS-25 engines to complete the assembly. The vertical integration will streamline the final production process and allow technicians full access to the missile stage.
"The High Bay 2 area at the Kennedy Center is critical to the work as the SLS transitions from a development model to an operational model," said Chad Bryant, deputy director of the SLS Office of Stages. "While crews are stacking and preparing the SLS rocket for the launch of one Artemis mission, the center stage for another Artemis mission will begin to take shape right next door."
Streamlining the assembly process
Under the new assembly model that will begin with the Artemis 3 mission, all key structures of the SLS stage will be fully manufactured at the Michaud assembly plant in New Orleans. After the production is finished and the thermal protection system is applied, the engine part will be sent to the Kennedy center to complete the assembly. Later, the upper parts of the center stage—the front skirt, the liquid oxygen tank, and the liquid hydrogen tank—will be welded together and sent to Kennedy for final assembly.
The SLS center stage has arrived at the assembly center
The fully assembled central stage of Artemis 2 arrived at the Kennedy Center on July 23, 2024, via NASA's Pegasus shuttle. The Artemis 3 engine portion was shipped in December 2022. Crews at the Micho plant continue to equip the remaining parts and integrate them horizontally. The four RS-25 engines for the Artemis 3 mission are being prepared at the Stennis Center in Mississippi and will be transferred to the Kennedy Center in 2025. The main structures for the upper stage of Artemis 4 and beyond are already in the works at Mishu.
Artemis Mission: A Leap Forward in Space Exploration
NASA aims to land the first woman, the first person of diverse descent and the first international astronaut on the moon as part of the Artemis program. The SLS is a central part of NASA's space program for deep space exploration, in collaboration with the Orion spacecraft, advanced ground systems, advanced space suits and dedicated space vehicles. The SLS rocket is the only one capable of launching Orion, the astronauts and the equipment to the moon in one launch.
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Better for NASA to get out of the rocket building business and leave it to private companies, such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rockets Love, Astra, Relativity Space and many others. A tender for the construction of large launchers will give a needed shot of encouragement to the industry and to bring better and cheaper solutions, as happened with the launches to the space station. Instead, it is better for NASA to concentrate on building spacecraft to explore the solar system, and to research everything that is required to establish a permanent settlement in space stations or on the surface of the moon or Mars.
Yes, and send the RS-25 to the various space museums.