NASA will roll the fully assembled core stage for the agency's SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch the first crewed Artemis mission out of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in mid-July. The 212-foot-tall stage will be loaded on the agency's Pegasus barge for delivery to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Media will have the opportunity to capture images and video, hear remarks from agency and industry leadership, and speak to subject matter experts with NASA and its Artemis industry partners as crews move the rocket stage to the Pegasus barge.

NASA will provide additional information on specific timing later, along with interview opportunities. This event is open to U.S. and international media. International media must apply by June 14. U.S. media must apply by July 3. The agency's media credentialing policy is available online.  

The rocket stage with its four RS-25 engines will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust to send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission. Once at Kennedy, teams with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program will finish outfitting the stage and prepare it for stacking and launch. Artemis II is currently scheduled for launch in September 2025.

Building, assembling, and transporting the core stage is a collaborative process for NASA, Boeing, the core stage lead contractor, and lead RS-25 engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3 Harris Technologies company.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under the agency's Artemis campaign. The SLS rocket is part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. The SLS rocket is the only rocket designed to send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Interested media must contact Corinne Beckinger at [email protected] and Craig Betbeze at [email protected]. Registered media will receive a confirmation by email.

Click here to learn more about NASA's Artemis campaign.