VAB’s High Bay 2 is equipped with new tooling to facilitate vertical integration of the SLS core stage. This development was on full display in mid-December when the teams suspended. Fully assembled Basic step 225 feet in the air inside the high bay to complete vertical work before stacking on mobile launcher 1, allowing teams to continue stacking solid rocket boosters simultaneously inside high bay 3 for Artemis II.
With the move to High Bay 2, NASA and Boeing technicians now have a 360-degree tip to access the core stage, both internally and externally. Michigan-based supplier Futramic Tool & Engineering Led the design and construction Core stage vertical integration center tool that will position the core stage vertically.
“The High Bay 2 tooling was originally scheduled to be completed for Artemis III. We had the opportunity to complete it first and it allowed us to move the Artemis II core stage into a fully integrated stackover to High Bay 3 ahead of schedule. will put us in a good position to get the job done first,” said Chad Bryant, deputy manager of the NASA SLS Stages Office. “This gives us an opportunity to go in and learn how to rotate, lift and move the main stage into the high bay.”
The move also doubles the usable space footprint within the VAB, giving engineers simultaneous access to both High Bay 2 and High Bay 3, while NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to continue work on individual elements for future SLS core stages.
Highbay 2 has a long history of supporting NASA’s research programs: During Apollo, Highbay 2, one of four highbays within the VAB, was used to stack Saturn V rockets. During the space shuttle program, the high bay was used for external tank checkout and storage and as an additional storage area for the shuttle.
Under the New assembly models Beginning with Artemis III, all major structures of the SLS core stage will continue to be fully developed and developed at NASA Michoud. Upon completion of manufacturing and thermal protection system application, the engine section will be shipped to Kennedy for final outfitting.
“Core Stage 3 marks a significant change in the way we build core stages,” said Steve Wofford, SLS Stages Office Manager. “The vertical capability in High Bay 2 allows us to parallelize processing from the top to the bottom of the stage. This is a much more efficient way to build core stages. This new capability will streamline the final production effort, allowing our team to There will be 360-degree access to the stage both internally and externally.
The fully assembled base stage for Artemis II arrived at Kennedy on July 23, 2024, where it stood horizontally inside the VAB transfer aisle until its recent lift into the new high bay.
Teams at NASA Michoud are preparing the remaining core stage elements for Artemis III and are preparing to attach them horizontally. Four RS-25 engines for the Artemis III mission have been completed at NASA’s Stence Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and will be delivered to NASA Kennedy in 2025. Critical core stage and exploration upper stage structures are operational at NASA Michoud. For Artemis IV and beyond.
NASA is working under Artemis to land the first woman, the first person, and its first international partner astronaut on the moon. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, a gateway to lunar orbit, and a commercial human landing system. The SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and cargo to the Moon in a single launch.
Jonathan Dale
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034