National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

OCT 2022 – MAR 2023

LAUNCHING 

A NEW ERA
LIFTOFF! NASA’s ARTEMIS I 

MEGA ROCKET LAUNCHES 

ORION TO MOON

ARTEMIS I

The Artemis I SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion 

spacecraft launch from Launch Pad 39B on Nov. 16, 2022.

A long exposure view of the Artemis I launch on Nov. 16, 2022, 

shows the rocket and spacecraft’s trajectory as they break the 

chains of Earth’s gravity and head to space.

Members of the launch control team monitor the health of the 

Artemis I SLS, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems during the 

successful launch countdown on Nov. 16, 2022.

Following a successful launch of SLS, the agency’s Orion spacecraft was on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. 

Carrying an uncrewed Orion, SLS lifted off for its flight test debut at 1:47 a.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 16 from Launch Pad 39B at 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch was the first leg of a mission in which Orion traveled approximately 40,000 

miles beyond the Moon and returned to Earth over the course of 25.5 days. Known as Artemis I, the mission was a critical part of 

NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which the agency explores for the benefit of humanity. It was an important test for 

the agency before flying astronauts on the Artemis II mission. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3AkSS9t
DATA FROM 

THE FIRST SLS 

FLIGHT TO 

PREPARE NASA 

FOR FUTURE 

ARTEMIS 

MISSIONS

NASA continues to evaluate data and learn more 

about the SLS rocket’s debut performance during the 

agency’s Nov. 16 Artemis I launch. Following an initial 

data assessment and review that determined the SLS 

rocket met or exceeded all performance expectations, 

SLS engineers are now taking a closer look at the Moon 

rocket’s performance to prepare for the first crewed 

Artemis missions. Building off the assessment conducted 

shortly after launch, the preliminary post-flight data 

indicates that all SLS systems performed exceptionally 

and that the designs are ready to support a crewed flight 

on Artemis II. The post-flight analysis team will continue 

reviewing data and conducting final reports. 

Ahead of launch, teams established benchmarks for 

the rocket’s performance through a series of pre-flight 

simulations and test campaigns. As the rocket launched 

and ascended to space, it experienced dynamic phases, 

like extreme forces and temperatures, that influenced 

its operations. The Artemis I flight test was the only way 

to gather real data on how the rocket performed during 

events like booster separation.

Engineers in the SLS Engineering and Support Center 

at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, 

Alabama, collected more than four terabytes of data and 

on-board imagery from SLS during pre-launch and launch 

phases. In addition, a total of roughly 31 terabytes of 

imagery data alone was collected from ground cameras, 

cameras on the rocket, and aerial cameras that were 

focused on SLS. By comparison, the Library of Congress’ 

printed material is roughly 20 terabytes.

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3VoVeO4

The Artemis I SLS rocket 

and Orion spacecraft launch 

from Launch Pad 39B on 

Nov. 16, 2022.

ARTEMIS I
VIEW THE BEST IMAGES FROM 

NASA’S ARTEMIS I MISSION

During Artemis I, SLS roared into the night sky and 

sent the Orion spacecraft on a 1.4-million-mile journey 

beyond the Moon and back. The uncrewed flight 

test was the first in a series of increasingly complex 

missions that will set the stage for the first woman and 

first person of color to step foot on the lunar surface, 

and for a long-term presence at the Moon that will 

enable future crewed missions to Mars. 

From before its launch on Nov. 16, 2022, to 

splashdown on Dec. 11, NASA photographers and 

even the cameras onboard Orion captured stunning 

images, helping bring the public along for the mission. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/42cxf6H

The Artemis I SLS rocket 

and Orion spacecraft 

launch from Launch Pad 

39B on Nov. 16, 2022.

ARTEMIS I
NASA CONNECTS ALL MAJOR 

STRUCTURES OF ARTEMIS II 

MOON ROCKET CORE STAGE

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have fully integrated all five major structures of the SLS core stage for Artemis II, 

the first crewed Artemis mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and return them home. Technicians joined the engine section 

to the rest of the rocket stage March 17. Next, teams will integrate the four RS-25 engines to the engine section to complete the stage.

Located at the bottom of the 212-foot-tall core stage, the engine section is the most complex and intricate part of the rocket 

stage, helping to power Artemis missions to the Moon. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine 

section is a crucial attachment point for the RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million 

pounds of thrust at liftoff. It houses the engines and includes vital systems for mounting, controlling, and delivering fuel from the 

propellant tanks to the engines. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3oYgjmc

ARTEMIS II
PROGRESS UNDERWAY ON 

MOON ROCKETS FOR NASA’S 

CREWED ARTEMIS MISSIONS

ARTEMIS II

All the booster motors for the two solid rocket boosters on the SLS rocket for Artemis II are complete and will be readied for shipment from 

Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Utah to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this year.

NASA and its partners across the country are continuing to make progress on the crewed Artemis missions with hardware for 

SLS rockets for Artemis II, III, and IV already in various phases of production, assembly, and testing.

The mega rocket’s two solid rocket boosters and four RS-25 engines produced more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff 

to send NASA’s Orion spacecraft beyond the Moon and back on Artemis I. Data from the first flight of SLS is helping engineers 

build confidence in the rocket’s systems to safely fly crew on future lunar missions.

Like Artemis I, the SLS rockets that will power the Artemis II and III missions to the Moon will use the Block 1 configuration 

with the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Beginning with Artemis IV, the SLS rocket will evolve into a more powerful 

configuration called Block 1B, which replaces the ICPS with the more dynamic Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) for in-space 

propulsion to send crew and large cargos to the Moon. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3nl9YAO
ARTEMIS III CORE STAGE ENGINE 

SECTION ARRIVES AT KENNEDY

The Artemis III engine section is moved into Kennedy’s Space Station Processing Facility following transportation on the Pegasus barge 

from Michoud.

ARTEMIS III

Teams from Michoud delivered the SLS core stage engine section for Artemis III to Kennedy, Saturday, Dec 10. As NASA moves 

forward with SLS production and assembly for future Artemis missions, technicians at the spaceport are beginning some core 

stage assembly and outfitting activities beginning with the Artemis III Moon rocket. In tandem, teams at Michoud will continue to 

manufacture the remaining four other elements of the 212-foot-tall core stage.

Teams transferred the engine section from the Pegasus barge to the Kennedy center’s Space Station Processing Facility where 

teams will begin processing operations ahead of final integration in the Vehicle Assembly Building. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3LHUyQy
STENNIS 

CONTINUES 

PREPARATION 

FOR 

EXPLORATION 

UPPER STAGE 

TESTING

Crews at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi lift 

the 75-ton interstage simulator test component into place at 

the B-2 Test Stand on Dec. 15. The test component, 31 feet 

in diameter and 33 feet tall, will be used during Green Run 

testing of the new EUS, which will fly on future SLS missions 

as NASA continues its mission to explore the universe for 

the benefit of all. The lift exercise served multiple purposes 

for the Stennis test complex personnel. Overall, crews used 

the component as a “pathfinder” for the EUS unit, which 

helped train lift crews on best practices for moving and 

handling the actual flight hardware when it arrives. Although 

the simulator is not exactly the size of the EUS unit, lifting 

the component into place on the B-2 Test Stand allowed 

crews to simulate procedures and techniques for handling 

the flight hardware. The lift also allowed crews to check the 

test stand clearances to ensure all is configured as needed 

for the EUS unit.

Several key test stand elements must be nearly perfectly 

aligned for EUS. The simulator lift and install helped crews 

take precise measurements to ensure those elements are 

properly placed. Finally, the lift allowed operators to return 

the simulator to proper placement on the B-2 tarmac 

following its removal from the test stand on Dec. 16. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3oYhq5m

Crews at Stennis lift the 75-ton interstage 

simulator test component into place at 

the B-2 Test Stand on Dec. 15.

ARTEMIS IV
NASA CONTINUES TEST SERIES 

FOR REDESIGNED ARTEMIS 

MOON ROCKET ENGINES

A mounted field camera offers a close-up view as NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis 

Space Center in south Mississippi on March 8, 2023.

ARTEMIS V

NASA’s testing for redesigned RS-25 engines to be used on future SLS missions continued with a March 8 full duration hot fire at 

NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

The test, conducted on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis, was the third of the year and part of an ongoing certification hot fire 

series. It also was the third test since an upgraded nozzle was installed on the RS-25 engine just prior to a Feb. 8 hot fire. The 

redesigned engines provided by lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne will be used on future Artemis flights to the 

Moon, beginning with Artemis V, as NASA continues its mission to explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all. 

Read more: go.nasa.gov/3oW63uE
ARTEMIS IS ENABLED 

BY ENTIRE COUNTRY

WHAT’S NEW IN SLS SOCIAL MEDIA

NASA’s Artemis campaign is the most ambitious human 

space exploration program ever endeavored. SLS, Orion, 

and the Exploration Ground Systems are supported by 

and reliant upon support from companies from every 

state in the country. A new video series takes a look at 

companies in each of the 50 states. 

Watch here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBEXDPatoW

BmCVhhewFWCEiujbRESKDno

ROCKET SCIENCE IN 60 SECONDS: 

HOW IS PROPELLANT LOADED 

INTO NASA’S SLS MOON ROCKET?

In this episode of Rocket Science in 60 Seconds, NASA Michoud engineer Chandler Scheuermann explains how teams 

at Kennedy load more than 730,000 gallons of super cold propellant into the propellant tanks of NASA’s Moon rocket on 

launch day. 

Watch here: youtube.com/watch?v=bTvCr6K_GCI
SLS ON THE ROAD

SLS Program Manager John Honeycutt delivered the keynote at the National Space Club – Huntsville’s February breakfast on 

Feb. 28. Honeycutt shared preliminary results from the Artemis I mission, photos and video from the mission, and SLS hardware 

updates for the next missions that will launch astronauts to the Moon.

SLS Outreach Specialist Twila Schneider, center, led 

NASA Artemis’ participation in Kids Week 2023 at 

the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York 

City in February 2023. The SLS team, along with 

other Artemis team members, brought to life the 

complete story of humanity’s return to the Moon. 

During the three-day event, nearly 11,000 people 

visited the exhibit. 
SPACEFLIGHT 

PARTNERS: 

Ultimate 

Hydroforming, Inc.

LOCATION: Sterling Heights, Michigan

WHAT THEY DO FOR SLS:

Ultimate Hydroforming, Inc. is a 100% womanowned business. President and CEO Shirley Klyn 

started UHI in 1979 and has guided her company’s 

growth to an eight-plant campus. The UHI Team 

consists of 170 highly skilled team members in 

many and various disciplines. UHI’s selection as 

the supplier of the core stage system tunnel cover 

assemblies was the culmination of three years 

of due diligence, tooling designs, and extensive 

virtual formability simulations. The accuracy of 

the forming simulations enabled confidence, with 

a great deal of certainty, that the designs would 

produce a robust product long before the actual 

construction of the cast iron form tooling was 

started. The UHI team continues to be involved in 

ongoing product design collaborations in an effort 

to reduce the number of details in each core stage 

assembly, including re-design of the tunnel cover 

for added strength with a simplified assembly and 

significant weight reduction.

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