NASA finishes Artemis III solid-rocket booster stacking for a tanking test

On 13 October, NASA reported that Artemis III hardware work at Kennedy Space Center hit two milestones: the final solid rocket booster motor segments are stacked on the mobile launcher in the short stack configuration used for a tanking test, and all four RS-25 engines are installed on the SLS core stage.

What comes next

NASA plans to roll the short-stack SLS from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B in the coming months for a tanking test, so the launch team can practise loading propellant. While the stack is at the pad, the Artemis III crew — NASA astronauts Randy Bresnick, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, plus ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano — will also run a launch-day rehearsal and emergency exit walkdown.

Orion and landers

Engineers with ESA and Airbus recently inspected Orion's solar array wings on the European Service Module. In September the full crew and backups visited Florida together for the first time since their announcement, touring Orion, the stacked boosters, the core stage, and commercial lander partners SpaceX and Blue Origin.