NASA SLS Upper Stage Prepped for Shipment to Space Coast

These images and videos show how crews in Alabama prepared the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for shipment to Florida between July 29-31. The ICPS in the photos and videos will help power NASA’s Artemis III mission to the Moon. The SLS upper stage is manufactured by United Launch Alliance at its facility in Decatur. Its RL10 engine is produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the SLS engines lead contractor, in West Palm Beach, Florida. ULA is working with Boeing, the SLS core stage and exploration upper stage lead contractor, to develop ICPS. ULA’s R/S RocketShip is transporting the flight hardware to its sister facility in Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for final checkouts. The ICPS for Artemis III is the last of its kind as SLS transitions to its next, more powerful Block 1B configuration with an upgraded upper stage beginning with Artemis IV. NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.