Core Stage Lift to Vertical for Move to High Bay 3

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and primary contractor Amentum, use a massive crane to lift to vertical the SLS (Space Launch System) Moon rocket for Artemis II on Saturday, March 22, 2025, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The move from the facility’s transfer aisle into High Bay 3 allows technicians to integrate the 212-foot-tall core stage with the stacked solid rocket boosters onto mobile launcher 1. Artemis II is the first crewed test flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step toward missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.