Assembly of NASA’s next Artemis rocket is underway, with the recent arrival of one of the launch vehicle’s solid-fuel propulsion sections at the agency’s integration facility in Kennedy Space Center in florida.
The lower segment of the left solid rocket booster (SRB) that will help launch Artemis III was transported to KSC’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) this week, according to a NASA report. social media post. It is one of two SRBs that will be attached to either side of NASA’s telescope. Space launch system (SLS), which together provide a combined force of 7.2 million pounds, more than 75% of the rocket’s power at liftoff.
“Soon, rocket assembly will begin as we prepare to send crew aboard Orion to test the rendezvous and docking capabilities needed for future lunar landings,” NASA’s post said.
The Artemis III SLS The central stage arrived at VAB in May. Unlike the arrival of the Artemis II core stage, the Artemis III was delivered without the engine section. Once connected, it may take some time before other components are stacked on the main vehicle. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has said the agency aims to complete a wet test on the rocket before the end of the year. Meanwhile, other SLS components and SRB segments will continue to arrive at the GVA.
Each SRB is approximately 54 meters (177 feet) tall. They are filled with polybutadiene acrylonitrile (PBAN), ammonium perchlorate, and aluminum powder, bringing their combined weight to 3.2 million pounds (1.45 million kg). Unlike liquid-fuel rocket engines, once SRBs’ solid propellants ignite, they cannot be turned off. Without them, the four RS-25 engines in the SLS core stage would not be powerful enough to lift the rocket off the launch pad.
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Artemis III will be the second manned mission of the artemis program — NASA’s next-generation push to return astronauts to the moon. And while Artemis III itself won’t fly to the moon, it will help advance the hardware and spacecraft technologies the space agency needs to ensure success in future missions to the lunar surface.
Like Artemis II, which carried four astronauts on a 10-day mission around the moon in April, the Artemis III astronauts will launch on SLS aboard the Orion spacecraft — but they will not fly further low earth orbit this time. Instead, the four-person crew will spend about two weeks testing rendezvous and docking procedures with prototypes of the two Artemis lunar landing modules, both privately contracted by NASA.
Big move for @NASAArtemis III! The left aft assembly solid rocket booster segment for NASA’s Space Launch System arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building. This segment is part of one of the two boosters that will provide more than 75% of the rocket’s power… pic.twitter.com/L7k4Qh3Jn9July 8, 2026
The space agency has partnered with SpaceX and blue origin for those vehicles, each of which is expected to launch once the Artemis III crew is in orbit. They will first encounter Blue Origin’s lander, Blue Moon. After docking, astronauts will have the opportunity to enter Blue Moon’s crew cabin, where they will also have the opportunity to test parts of the Artemis extravehicular activity (EVA) suit designed for astronauts to wear on the lunar surface.
A date with SpaceX starship Orion’s stage with Blue Moon will follow. SpaceX has indicated that it will fly a Starship V3 (Version 3) model vehicle equipped with a docking adapter, but it will not have a crew cabin. V3 is the newest version of SpaceX’s Starship, which has been upgraded for high efficiency and launch capability, but will lack a fully developed life support system in time for the launch of Artemis III next year.
If everything goes as planned and NASA can maintain its current mission schedule, the first moon landing The Artemis program will take place on Artemis IV, which is scheduled for launch in late 2028.
