Inside a large industrial facility, two white rocket booster segments stand upright on the ground level, surrounded by scaffolding, platforms, and bright work lights. Two pointy nose cones pieces of hardware atop the booster segments.
Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems completed integrating the aerodynamic nose cones onto the left and right forward assemblies on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters, finishing their stacking operations for Artemis III inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s 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 Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B.
NASA/Cory S Huston

Progress on NASA’s Artemis III’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket continues at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where teams have completed the integration of the final solid rocket booster motor segments onto the mobile launcher for the “short stack” configuration that will be used during a tanking test. Teams also completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage.

Teams now will install the systems tunnel that runs the length of the core stage and is used to route pyrotechnic cabling, a system of wiring that allows the single-use, quick disconnect for controlled movements during liftoff, on the massive stage. In the coming weeks, the stage will be integrated with the solid rocket boosters, completing the rocket’s “short stack” configuration.

NASA will roll the short stack SLS rocket from the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B for a tanking test in the coming months, where the Artemis launch team will practice procedures and timelines for loading propellant. While at the pad, the Artemis III crew, NASA astronauts Randy Bresnick, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, also will conduct a launch day rehearsal and emergency exit walkdown. This will include suiting up in astronaut crew quarters, driving to the launch pad, ascending the mobile launcher, and then walking through the exit route they would take in the unlikely event of an emergency during launch countdown.

Additional hardware updates

At Launch Pad 39B, teams continue the refurbishment of the flame deflector, which saw minimal damage after the Artemis II launch. The bricks on the flame trench itself were not affected by the launch due to ground support improvements informed by lessons learned after Artemis I in 2022.

Teams are continuing to work through testing on the Orion spacecraft. Recently, engineers with ESA and Airbus inspected the solar array wings, which deliver power to the service module that provides propulsion, thermal control, and electrical power to the spacecraft, as well as air and water for the crew. 

Two technicians in cleanroom gowns, face masks, and hair coverings inspect a large spacecraft solar array inside a manufacturing facility. One technician uses a handheld scanner on a section of the dark solar panels illuminated with bright red light, while another works at a nearby computer workstation.
Technicians extend and inspect one of the solar array wing panels that will attach the Orion service module for Artemis III inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building high bay at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. Each solar array panel, provided by the European Space Agency and built by Airbus, generates 11 kilowatts of power and spans about 63 feet to supply Orion’s power, propulsion, air, and water through low Earth Orbit.
NASA/Amanda Stevenson

At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the forward and aft rings were welded on the Artemis III spacer, completing the primary structure. The spacer will serve to represent upper stage dimensions during the mission. The dimensional checks are underway.

Engineers also are converting two existing structural test articles, the Orion stage adapter and launch vehicle stage adapter, into flight-ready hardware. Exterior painting on the Orion stage adapter was recently completed at NASA Marshall, with cables and brackets to be installed soon. The launch vehicle stage adapter has undergone detailed inspection and preparation, with corrosion removal nearly complete, and nondestructive evaluation will begin this fall. Following that evaluation, technicians will apply conversion coating to the interior, prime and paint the exterior, and spray the cone-shaped adapter with thermal protection spray foam.

The spacer and both adapters remain on track to ship to Kennedy early next year.

Crew training continues

The Artemis III crew has continued a variety of training activities to prepare for their mission. Recently, they completed lessons on the flywheel exercise device, practicing hardware setup, anticipated exercises, and equipment disassembly. This compact device, about the size of an extra-large shoe box, uses pulleys and a torque limiter to mimic a rowing machine, allowing aerobic, resistive, and rowing exercises with straps attached to either a bar or harness.

Nutrition also is a key focus. At NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory in Houston, crew members sampled nearly 200 items on the menu to select their favorites for the mission, ensuring their health and performance are supported throughout.

Four cups are on display with pieces of food the Artemis III crew is tasting.
The Artemis III crew tasted various food items on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory, to determine what they’ll eat on their mission in low Earth orbit.
NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

The crew concluded helicopter underwater egress training, practicing escape from a submerged, upside-down mock helicopter cabin in a controlled pool environment to prepare for potential off-nominal water crash-landings.

Last week, members of the Artemis III crew traveled to San Diego to participate in recovery training with NASA and military partners, practicing water lifts by U.S. Navy helicopters. 

They completed several suited training activities in the Orion Crew Survival System Suits this week, preparing for post-insertion, deorbit procedures, and emergency responses. These activities included communication system checks, suit operations, emergency equipment handling, contingency drills, and cabin configuration with stowage, ensuring the crew is ready for any scenario that may arise.

Image shows four men in brown water training suits standing near water. Behind them is a US Navy boat and helicopter with a sunset.
The Artemis III astronauts pose for a group photo on the front porch before conducting hoist training with U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 1 in San Diego, California, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis III, NASA and the Department of War will conduct training evolutions to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions.
US Navy/2nd Class August Clawson

In September, the full Artemis III crew and backup astronauts visited Florida together for the first time since their crew announcement earlier this year. The astronauts visited their Orion spacecraft, saw the integrated solid rocket boosters on top of the mobile launcher, and viewed the core stage undergoing final processing ahead of integration. The crew also visited commercial partners SpaceX and Blue Origin to become more oriented with the lunar lander providers’ progress, marking one more milestone in preparation for the daring Artemis III mission.

For more information on the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/

NASA Completes Artemis III Booster Stacking, Shares Status Update