NASA completes Artemis III SLS booster stacking at Kennedy Space Center
NASA finished stacking Artemis III's twin SLS boosters, the next step before a pad tanking test ahead of a June 2027 target.
what happened
NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team finished integrating aerodynamic nose cones onto Artemis III's twin SLS solid rocket boosters on September 30, completing booster stacking in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, NASA said. All four RS-25 engines are now installed on the core stage; teams will next install the core stage's systems tunnel before mating it to the boosters to form a "short stack" that will roll to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test and the crew's first full launch-day rehearsal, ahead of the mission's no-earlier-than June 2027 target.
why it matters
Artemis III is already running about 90 days behind schedule by NASA's own account, and SLS integration progress is the clearest public marker of whether the lunar landing mission, which carries HLS contracts for SpaceX and Blue Origin and crew seats for international partners, holds its new timeline or slips further.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- NASA
- Category
- human spaceflight
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-13
- Published
- 2026-10-15 05:33 UTC