Final puzzle piece for Artemis I rocket set for trip to Kennedy Space Center

NASA/Robert Markowitz/AP
In this Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 photo made available by NASA, the core stage for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket undergoes a hot fire test at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. All four core-stage engines fired for barely a minute, rather than the intended eight minutes. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, NASA blamed the automatic shutdown on the strict test limits. (Robert Markowitz/NASA via AP)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Roger Brown, of Lockheed Martin inside the Orion Crew capsule Tuesday, June 1, 2010 a ground test article being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Kevin Schuengel, Project Engineer, working for Lockheed Martin at the Control Console Tuesday, June 1, 2010 processing a ground test article ,Orion Crew capsule (left,background) being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times
A test model of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, NASA's next-generation space capsule, is rolled out at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in October 2008. The Orion vehicle looks strikingly similar to the Apollo space capsule, but it is larger and will carry six astronauts instead of three. NASA is aiming to send Americans to the moon aboard Orion by 2020.
The Associated Press
The NASA Orion space capsule is seen atop a Delta IV rocket ready for a test launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The test flight scheduled for Thursday morning, will reach an altitude of 3,600 miles before re-entering the atmosphere (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Win McNamee / Getty Images
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed by NASA on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
John Raoux / Associated Press
The completed mobile launcher structure that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at the Kennedy Space Center is seen, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SLS is the agency?s new rocket that will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: KSC102
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS
A piece of the Artemis 1 rocket is transported at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, before sunrise on Thursday, July 30, 2020, after making a 13- day journey on a barge from NASA' s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
John Raoux / Associated Press
A view of the Vehicle Assembly Building, right, is seen from atop the over 400 foot high mobile launcher structure that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at the Kennedy Space Center is seen, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SLS is the agency?s new rocket that will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: KSC103
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Lightning lights up clouds over the Vehicle Assembly Building, delaying the rollout of Artemis I, at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule, far left, is shown on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. America will send a new generation of explorers to the moon aboard NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. Making its first flights to the International Space Station early in the next decade, Orion is part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at Port Canaveral of full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule that will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration. Orion will replace the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which NASA plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., a visitor watches as NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I, including the Orion spacecraft, shortly before rollout to the launch pad —as seen from the high bay level inside the Vehicle Assembly Building— at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Artemis I is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Craig Bailey / AP
workers gather to watch as the core stage of the SLS rocket is transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Thursday afternoon, April 29, 2021, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The core stage will be mated to the other components that comprise Artemis I, currently scheduled to launch in late 2021 or early 2022 (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., crowds gather to watch NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission roll to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
With the capitol in the background, a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion crew exploration vechicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vechicle is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Media and social influencers tour the barge Pegasus that will transport the core stage and engines of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) that will be used in the Artemis 1 mission, at the NASA Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed by NASA on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Jude Guidry/NASA via The New York Times
In an image provided by NASA, the core stage of NASA‚Äôs Artemis rocket, which would take astronauts to the moon, at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in January 2020. NASA announced on April 30 that it had picked three designs for spacecraft to take astronauts back to the moon, from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and one led by Dynetics of Huntsville, Alabama.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule, far left, is shown on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower, right, is on the move Wednesday, November 16, 2011 about to pass by the Vehicle Assembly Building, center, headed to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule with parachutes deployed is shown after it was catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I and the Orion spacecraft shortly before rollout to the launch pad —as seen from the high bay level inside the Vehicle Assembly Building— at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Launch Complex 39, Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Artemis I is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After rolling out overnight, Artemis I at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Wednesday, August 17, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Kevin Schuengel, Project Engineer working for Lockheed Martin at the Control Console Tuesday, June 1, 2010 processing a ground test article ,Orion Crew capsule (left,background) being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule with parachutes deployed is shown after it was catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base (background) conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
AP
This image made available on Feb. 15, 2017 by NASA shows an artist's concept of the launch of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. On Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, NASA said it is weighing the risk of adding astronauts to the first flight of its new megarocket. (NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center via AP)
JUDE GUIDRY/Getty
This NASA photo released on January 6, 2020 shows NASAs powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will send astronauts a quarter million miles from Earth to lunar orbit at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. - The agency is committed to landing American astronauts, including the first woman and the next man, on the Moon by 2024. Through the agencys Artemis lunar exploration program, we will use innovative new technologies and systems to explore more of the Moon than ever before.On January 1, 2020, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: "Making progress! The massive @NASA_SLS core stage is moving to Building 110 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. There it will be readied for the Pegasus barge and its trip to @NASAStennis. Thank you to the @NASA team for working through the holidays!" (Photo by Jude Guidry / NASA / AFP) (Photo by JUDE GUIDRY/NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
A piece of the Artemis 1 rocket is transported at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., before sunrise Thursday, July 30, 2020, after making a 13-day journey on a barge from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The section is a stage adapter for NASA's massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is under development for crewed lunar flights in the Artemis mission, with future plans for possible human missions to Mars. The Artemis 1 launch is currently scheduled for November, 2021. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, TNS
A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at launch complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
A model of the Orion capsule sits in the control room of the wind-tunnel at Langley Air Force base. This was used in testing of the Space Launch System rocket that will eventually be used to send people to Mars.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Roger Brown, of Lockheed Martin inside the Orion Crew capsule Tuesday, June 1, 2010 a ground test article being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., dusk sets as NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion crew exploration vehicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA. along with members from 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral. The Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
The Associated Press
NASA's Orion spacecraft test vehicle sits in the well deck of the USS Anchorage at the Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct recovery tests for the capsule in the Pacific Ocean, simulating its return from a space mission. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
In front of a Space Shuttle Engine (left) and the Orion capsule (right)President Barack Obama announces a $ 40 million multi-agency effort to help some 9,000 Kennedy Space Center jobs when the shuttle program retires. Sen. Bill Nelson (right) is seen on stage. The NASA Space Conference held at the Kennedy Space Center.
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After completing its second rollout overnight Sunday, Artemis 1 —the NASA moonshot rocket— stands at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Monday, June 6, 2022. The 322-foot-tall rocket stack includes the Orion spacecraft and made the 4.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad in 11 hours. NASA is targeting a wet rehearsal for Artemis 1 on June 19. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, MCT
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Red Huber, TNS
A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at launch complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Craig Fritz, Associated Press
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After completing its second rollout overnight Sunday, Artemis 1 —the NASA moonshot rocket— stands at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Monday, June 6, 2022. The 322-foot-tall rocket stack includes the Orion spacecraft and made the 4.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad in 11 hours. NASA is targeting a wet rehearsal for Artemis 1 on June 19. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

By Richard Tribou | rtribou@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel

PUBLISHED: April 21, 2021 at 11:50 a.m. | UPDATED: August 25, 2022 at 8:57 p.m.

The Artemis I rocket NASA plans to send to the moon will finally be getting its largest piece when the Space Launch System core stage makes its way to Kennedy Space Center.

Prime contractor Boeing has signed off on the stage after going through a full hot fire test last month, the completion of eight “Green Run” tests at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to make sure the 212-foot-tall piece of hardware with four engines converted from the Space Shuttle program would be set to make the flight to the moon.

“Data from Green Run testing validated the core stage’s successful operation and will be used to help certify the stage for flight, as well as to inform our production system for future stages,” said John Shannon, SLS vice president and program manager for Boeing.

Stennis Space Center teams conducted what’s known as a “break in configuration” operation to prepare the first Boeing-built Core Stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for transport to Florida for launch. The SLS is purpose-built for human deep space exploration and is the only rocket that can deliver the safety and performance needed to launch Orion and other elements to deep space.

Earlier this week, the core stage was lifted out of the B-2 Test stand and readied for its upcoming horizontal journey by water.

The next step is for NASA to schedule transport of the core stage via its Pegasus barge to KSC, where it will be stacked in the Vehicle Assembly Building with the rest of the SLS components including the external boosters and Orion capsule already on site. The barge trip will take six days through the Gulf of Mexico.

In early 2020, Boeing and NASA’s announced the core stage could have made it to KSC as early as July that year, but delays from hurricanes, COVID-19 and an incomplete hot fire test earlier in 2021 kept pushing the final sign off.

The core stage will be combined with two side boosters from NASA partner Northrop Grumman that together will produce about 8.8 million pounds of thrust, making it the most powerful rocket to launch from Earth.

Artemis I will be an uncrewed mission to the moon, but actually traveling farther from Earth than any ship ever built for humans has ever flown before, about 280,000 miles away.

NASA’s SLS schedule still has Artemis I launching as early as November with Artemis II, a crewed mission around the moon without landing, by 2023 and then a 2024 flight that aims to put the first woman on the moon. Those targets, though, were part of the Trump administration’s push and could change under the new Biden administration.

Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk would not put a solid date on any updated Artemis I plans, but said last week it needs to be done “as quickly and safely as possible.”

President Joe Biden’s nominee to become the new NASA administrator, former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, who himself once flew on the space shuttle, said during a Wednesday meeting of the Senate commerce, science and transportation committee that he expects Artemis I could still fly before the end of the year.

“At the end of the year, perhaps early next year, you’re going to see the largest rocket ever – most powerful launched – that is going to be the workhorse of the program of going back to the moon and then on to Mars, which was a multi-administration project,” Nelson said. “These projects are not one administration. They’re many. It’s like building an aircraft carrier. You start it and it will take you years down the road, and it has to be continued regardless of who’s in the majority, regardless of who’s in the presidency. And so too we are seeing this and we will see the fulfillment of these programs.”