Countdown to Artemis II: NASA rolls out SLS rocket core stage

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The core stage of NASA’s largest-ever rocket is on the water, headed from a New Orleans facility to Kennedy Space Center.

The stage is the backbone of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, responsible for launching a crew into space as a part of the Artemis II mission.

The core stage departed Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Tuesday. NASA’s Barge Pegasus is transporting it to Kennedy Space Center. The trip is roughly 600 miles long and will take about a week to complete.

Michoud Assembly Facility is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

“There are a lot of collaborations to be candid,” said Michoud Assembly Facility Director Hansel Gill. “A lot of the design work and the insight to that design is done in the Huntsville area.”

Gill said Marshall is responsible for developing a lot of the processing techniques implemented by teams at Michoud to assemble the core stage.

The core stage is made up of four RS-25 engines that will provide more than two million pounds of thrust for launch. The stage’s two massive tanks hold more than 700,000 gallons of liquid fuel.

Years of dedicated work from thousands of people were required to build the core stage.

“This is the first one that flies crew, and the way we go about our work, we have to be extremely intentional,” Gill said. “You have to make sure you have your testing and your inspections correct, but when you know you’re going to have crew riding on this rocket, it kind of raises the stakes a little bit.”

The SLS rocket is designed for deep space travel. NASA plans to first return to the moon before setting its sights on Mars.

The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch in September 2025.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.