Boeing prepares Artemis III core stage for fuelling and structural tests

US manufacturer produces the core stage that propels NASA’s Space Launch System for the Artemis moon missions.
Boeing has moved the 69m (225ft) Space Launch System (SLS) core stage from the Core Stage Vertical Integration Center to High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, part of preparations for the planned 2027 Artemis III mission.

Engineers have lifted the core stage out of the integration cell, rotated it horizontally and positioned it on a support stand in the Vehicle Assembly Building transfer aisle for check-outs, Boeing said on 28 October. Teams then also hoisted the core stage back into a vertical position inside High Bay 3, lowering it onto a mobile launcher platform alongside twin solid rocket boosters to complete the short-stack configuration.

Vertical assembly approach

The move highlights a streamlined manufacturing and integration methodology developed by Boeing and NASA, Boeing says. Technicians installed the engine section vertically inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center after Boeing delivered the core stage’s top four sections from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

This operation represents the first time Boeing delivered an SLS core stage from Michoud to Kennedy without its engine section attached. The process optimises workflow and reduces transit risk for the heavy-lift vehicle, says Boeing.

The Boeing-built core provides the primary propulsion for the Artemis III launch, scheduled for 2027, according to NASA’s recent timeline update. The rocket will propel the Orion spacecraft, produced by a team led by Lockheed Martin, into low-earth orbit for the purpose of evaluating capabilities including Orion’s ability to rendezvous and dock with lunar landers supplied by Blue Origin and SpaceX. The mission is intended to pave the way for the planned Artemis IV mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.

Testing milestones

The stacked SLS core stage will remain inside High Bay 3 on the mobile launcher alongside twin solid rocket boosters for detailed integration work and system validation during this final stacking and processing phase. Teams are preparing the rocket for a short-stack tanking test scheduled for later in 2026.

The tanking test is intended to validate cryogenic fuel loading procedures and structural integrity under flight-like thermal conditions. Successful completion of cryogenic loading will clear the vehicle for upper-stage integration and final launch pad rollout ahead of the planned 2027 mission, Boeing says.

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