
ALT The Moon is seen shining over the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher on January 28, 2026. The sky is a dark blue gradient in the background. The core stage of the rocket is a burnt orange color. It is topped with the white Orion spacecraft and sandwiched between two white solid rocket boosters. The mobile launcher is a trussed structure that stands behind the rocket. The perspective of the image if from below the rocket looking upward. Credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock

ALT Engineers with NASAโs Exploration Ground Systems complete integration of the aerodynamic nose cones onto the left and right forward segments on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters, finishing their stacking operations for Artemis III inside the Vehicle Assembly Buildingโs High Bay 3 at NASAโs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch. The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis III rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedyโs Launch Pad 39B. Photographer:NASA/Cory S Huston














