Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans rotated the engine section for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket from a vertical to horizontal position to prepare it for joining to the rest of the rocket’s core stage on Sept. 13. The engine section is the last major component to be horizontally integrated to the core stage, and the flight hardware that will be used for Artemis I, the first lunar mission of SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, is now complete. ⁣ ⁣ Offering more payload mass, volume capability and energy to speed missions through space, the SLS rocket, along with NASA’s Gateway in lunar orbit and Orion, is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration and the Artemis lunar program. No other rocket is capable of carrying astronauts in Orion around the Moon in a single mission. ⁣ ⁣ Image credit: NASA/Jude Guidry⁣ ⁣ #nasa #michoud #nola #sls #orion #artemis #moon2024