Artemis partners 'humming' along

NASA and its partners across Gulf Coast states - Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi - are continuing to make progress on the crewed Artemis missions with hardware for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rockets for Artemis II, III, and IV already in various phases of production, assembly and testing. SLS proved to be the world’s most powerful rocket, when its two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 engines produced more than 8.8M pounds of thrust at liftoff to send the Orion spacecraft beyond the Moon and back on Artemis I. Data from the first flight of SLS is helping engineers build confidence in the rocket’s systems to safely fly crew on future missions. NASA and Boeing, lead contractor for the SLS core stage, are manufacturing the 212-foot-tall stages for Artemis II, III, and IV at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The Artemis II core stage is in final assembly. Michoud is "humming with activity," said Lonnie Dutreix, director of the Michoud Assembly Facility. At the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., Aerojet Rocketdyne, RS-25 lead contractor, has completed work on the RS-25 engines for the third SLS flight and is working to complete the four RS-25 engines that will power the fourth flight of the rocket. Aerojet is preparing for a series of RS-25 engine tests to be used with Artemis V. Beginning with the Block 1B configuration launch vehicle stage adapter, and Orion stage adapter are being replaced by the Exploration Upper Stage and interstage, which includes the universal stage adapter (USA). Dynetics and Beyond Gravity, the prime contractors for the adapter, are finalizing a full-scale demonstration test article of the USA at facilities in Decatur, Ala. With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. (NASA 02/06/23) Progress Underway on Moon Rockets for NASA’s Crewed Artemis Missions | NASA