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NASA’s Final Piece of Artemis II Rocket Hardware Leaves Marshall [1]

['Beth Ridgeway']

Date: 2025-08-19

NASA’s Final Piece of Artemis II Rocket Hardware Leaves Marshall

The final piece of Artemis II flight hardware for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket departed NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 18, and will arrive at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week for integration with the rest of the rocket.

The Orion stage adapter is traveling by semitrailer for its journey to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for stacking. Built of lightweight aluminum at Marshall, the ring-shaped Orion stage adapter connects the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft. NASA

Built of lightweight aluminum at Marshall, the ring-shaped Orion stage adapter connects the interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft. A composite diaphragm within the ring acts as a barrier between Orion and the rest of the rocket, preventing gases – such as hydrogen – from entering the spacecraft. An auxiliary rendezvous target has been installed on the Artemis II Orion stage adapter for use by the astronauts during the planned proximity operations demonstration intended to test Orion’s handling capabilities.

The adapter was manufactured using friction stir welding in NASA Marshall’s Materials and Processes Laboratory. It’s the only piece of the SLS rocket built entirely by NASA engineers.

The adapter will also carry several CubeSats, which are small payloads containing science experiments and technology demonstrations intended to expand understanding of the space environment. Following separation from Orion, an avionics unit in the Orion stage adapter will send signals to release the payloads at pre-selected times. International partners South Korea, Germany, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia developed the four CubeSats aboard Artemis II.

As the Artemis II rocket is nearing completion at NASA Kennedy, teams continue work on flight hardware for Artemis III. Later this fall, NASA Marshall engineers will flip the third rocket’s Orion stage adapter and install the diaphragm.

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

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[1] Url: https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2025/08/19/nasas-final-piece-of-artemis-ii-rocket-hardware-leaves-marshall/

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