NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — NASA is preparing for the next big step in the Artemis mission to the moon and eventually Mars. On Tuesday, the rocket stage of the mission will leave the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East, heading to Florida.
Crews at Michoud are busy prepping NASA’s core stage of the space launch system (SLS) to head out to the Pegasus barge. It will be a 900-mile journey from the Michoud Assembly Facility to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Kennedy Space Center is where it’ll be integrated with other elements of the rocket to prepare for the Artemis II launch for the flight around the moon and beyond.
NASA’s SLS rocket is the only rocket capable of carrying a crew and large cargo into deep space in a single launch.
Boeing built the 212-foot core stage, while Lockheed Martin built the Orion crew module, which will carry four astronauts to orbit.
NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color and first international partner astronaut on the moon under Artemis.
Our very own local rocket factory is taking us to infinity and beyond.
The Artemis II rollout will take place on July 16.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.