NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program has made significant strides in preparing the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the Artemis II mission. Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams are currently stacking the twin solid rocket booster motor segments. As of now, six of the ten segments have been secured atop mobile launcher 1, with the latest addition being the right forward center segment.
The integration process will continue, with the left center segment featuring the NASA 'worm' insignia set to be the next to be added. The right and left forward assemblies were transported to the VAB from the Booster Fabrication Facility on January 14. Each forward assembly consists of three main components: a nose cone for aerodynamic protection, a forward skirt housing avionics, and a frustum that contains motors responsible for separating the boosters from the SLS core stage during flight.
Further segments are scheduled to be transported from the Rotation, Processing, and Surge Facility to the VAB as engineers prepare for their integration. The forward assemblies will complete the booster configuration ahead of their integration with the core stage, marking a crucial step toward the upcoming lunar mission.