A New Chapter in Space Exploration
“Happy Rollout Day.” That was the enthusiastic greeting shared by NASA employees and space contractors at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East on Monday. The moment marked a significant milestone as the core stage of the Louisiana-built rocket, destined to carry the Artemis III crew into space, rolled out of the facility.
Jordan Falgout, Boeing’s deputy project manager, expressed pride in the team’s work. “We have a really talented team here,” he said. “We have folks that perform some of the most complex electrical work, mechanical work, welding that’s done in this industry. So, we’re really proud to be part of this mission.”
Approximately 1,500 workers at Michoud were involved in constructing the SLS core stage, along with the Orion crew capsule and the Artemis launch abort system. This facility has a long history as America’s rocket factory, having built the Saturn V rocket stages for the Apollo missions and the external fuel tanks for the Space Shuttle program.
Today, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing and welding tools, including the world’s largest friction stir welding tool, which allows workers to build multiple core stages simultaneously.
NASA officials were present to personally thank those working on the program, just 10 days after the successful Artemis II mission concluded.
“Rolling this rocket out now, right after Artemis II got home, says something else about who we are,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator. “We want to fly. Let’s go. That’s what we’re doing.”
The 212-foot-tall core stage takes about three hours to travel the 1.3-mile distance from the factory floor to the Pegasus Barge, docked inside the Michoud complex. The journey to Kennedy Space Center across the Gulf typically takes six to eight days, covering roughly 900 miles.
Astronaut Nichole Ayers, who may soon be sitting on top of a rocket like this, had a message for the workers who built it.
“To be cliché, human spaceflight is the greatest team sport that we have,” Ayers said. “We trust you guys with everything that we have. We trust you the mission is going to go off safely.”
The Artemis III launch is currently targeted for mid-2027. The mission will send astronauts into Earth’s orbit to test the rendezvous and docking capabilities needed to transfer crew to a commercial lunar lander. It will be the final step before landing astronauts on the moon in 2028.
Expanding the Artemis Program
With Artemis III heading out the door, two more rockets are already in the pipeline at Michoud. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno was among the dignitaries attending Monday’s rollout.
“To be part of Artemis III and to continue the Artemis program going right here in the city of New Orleans is incredibly exciting, but what I think is even more exciting is because of Artemis, it’s creating this level of interest in New Orleans,” Moreno said.
NASA is expected to begin stacking the rocket components at KSC this summer. If all goes according to plan, there are expected to be many more rollout days like this at Michoud.
