Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center have integrated the Space Launch System core stage for the Artemis III mission alongside twin solid rocket boosters inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, completing the rocket’s short stack configuration.
The 212-foot core stage was lifted from the facility’s High Bay 2 on Oct. 22 using a specialized lifting beam engineered to position the towering hardware onto the mobile launcher. Photographic documentation from NASA recorded the movement of the core stage from the transfer aisle on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, followed by its integration with the twin solid rocket booster motor segments on Oct. 25.
Following the structural integration, launch teams will perform comprehensive testing and checkouts inside the assembly building. Once those evaluations conclude, technicians plan to roll the core stage and booster stack out to Launch Pad 39B to conduct a critical tanking test. During this dress rehearsal, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuel will be loaded exclusively into the core stage while launch teams practice standard countdown procedures and operational timelines.
The Artemis III mission will carry NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano aboard the Orion spacecraft, propelled by the SLS rocket. The upcoming flight aims to test vital rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX, laying operational groundwork for future crewed landings on the lunar surface.
