NASA ships Artemis III SLS core-stage hardware toward Kennedy

NASA rolled the top four-fifths of the Artemis III SLS core stage from Michoud to the Pegasus barge for shipment to Kennedy Space Center.

The move starts the next integration phase for the vehicle that will launch Artemis III, including final outfitting, stacking, and preparation for the mission's Orion-to-lander rendezvous and docking test plan.

The hardware section includes the hydrogen tank, oxygen tank, intertank, and forward skirt. NASA says the engine section will be combined later to complete the 212-foot core stage before launch processing.

The shipment is a schedule marker for Boeing, L3Harris, Exploration Ground Systems, and the Artemis integration flow because the program now has flight hardware moving toward Kennedy while post-Artemis II data review is still underway.