NASA’s Space Launch System, the other Saturn V-class heavy lift vehicle launched this decade, is being prepared for its second flight and its first crew-carrying flight, even as issues with the Orion spacecraft threaten to further delay Artemis II. While Artemis II preparations are underway, future upgrades to SLS are also being worked on.
Artemis II’s core stage, solid rocket booster (SRB) segments, and launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) are at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and being stored prior to stacking. The core stage and all four RS-25 engines arrived on the barge Pegasus to the KSC turn basin as a unit on July 23 this year while the SRB segments arrived by train to KSC from Utah on Sept. 25, 2023.