NASA has completed stacking of the agencys mega-Moon rocket and spacecraft that will launch the next generation of deep space operations, including Artemis missions on and around the Moon. Engineers and technicians successfully secured the Orion spacecraft atop the fully assembled Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before midnight Oct. 21.
NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT today, Friday, Oct. 22, to discuss the completed stacking operations and progress toward the uncrewed Artemis I mission around the Moon. The teleconference will stream live on the agencys website.
With stacking and integration of NASAs Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft complete, were getting closer and closer to embarking on a new era of human deep space exploration, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Thanks to the teams hard work designing, manufacturing, testing, and now completing assembly of NASAs new rocket and spacecraft, were in the home stretch of preparations for the first launch on the Artemis I mission, paving the way to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond for many years to come.
Participating in the briefing are:
- Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters
- Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager, Kennedy
- Cathy Koerner, Orion program manager, NASAs Johnson Space Center
- John Honeycutt, SLS program manager, NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center
- Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, NASA Headquarters
