Jacobs and NASA have begun processing the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage after receiving it at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on April 28, marking delivery of the final piece of Artemis I flight hardware to the team in Florida, a critical step in preparation for launch.

The SLS rocket will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the moon and back to Earth later this year, paving the way for future Artemis missions with astronauts.

As the Artemis prime contractor at KSC for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems, Jacobs is responsible for receiving all SLS and Orion flight hardware, assembling and integrating all components, then conducting final tests and checkout, before rolling it to the pad for launch. The Jacobs team is currently preparing Orion for launch, and has finished processing and stacking the Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) segments.

"With the delivery of the core stage, the Artemis I launch is within sight, and the excitement level is high," said Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions Senior Vice President Steve Arnette.

"From the technicians doing the hands-on work, to the engineers ensuring the operations are conducted safely and successfully, to the team in the Launch Control Center firing rooms who are monitoring and coordinating all launch prep activities, the entire Jacobs team is committed to the success of this important milestone in NASA's goal to return humans to the lunar surface - and beyond."

The 212-foot long core stage will be mated to the twin solid rocket boosters (SRBs) on the mobile launcher. Together, the SRBs and the core stage will form the most powerful rocket NASA has ever built, providing 8.8 million pounds of maximum thrust, 15 percent more thrust than the Saturn V rocket.

Following the core stage/SRB mate, the team will complete stacking of the remaining Artemis I flight hardware, including the Orion spacecraft, on the mobile launcher inside the VAB, then test and checkout all systems ahead of rollout to Launch Pad 39B.

As NASA's largest services contractor, Jacobs is a provider and integrator of full lifecycle aerospace capability including design and construction; base, mission and launch operations; sustaining capital maintenance; and secure and intelligent asset management, development, modification, and testing processes for fixed assets supporting national government, military, defense and NASA, as well as commercial space companies.

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Space Launch System Core Stage heads to Kennedy Space Center
Bay St. Louis MS (SPX) Apr 24, 2021
The first core stage of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket departs Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, following completion of the Green Run series of tests of its design and systems. The stage now is in route to the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, its final stop prior to NASA's launch of the Artemis I mission around the Moon. At Kennedy, the core stage will be integrated with the rest of the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft in preparation for launch. Through th ... read more

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