Boeing-built 212-Foot SLS Core Stage Completes Artemis II Moon Flyaround
Boeing’s 212-foot SLS core stage powered Artemis II’s 10-day lunar flyaround, performing 196,000-gallon liquid oxygen and 537,000-gallon hydrogen tank fueling, RS-25 engine ignition, thrust vector control and stage separation flawlessly. Michoud plant is already producing next core stages for Artemis III–V missions, driving near-term bookings and reinforcing Boeing’s space systems backlog.
1. Artemis II Mission Success
On April 1 at 6:35 p.m. ET, NASA’s Artemis II launched using Boeing’s core stage, which powered the Space Launch System through ascent, managed thrust vector control and separated cleanly eight and a half minutes into flight to send the Orion spacecraft on its 10-day lunar trajectory.
2. Core Stage Technical Specs
The 212-foot core stage incorporates a 196,000-gallon liquid oxygen tank, a 537,000-gallon liquid hydrogen tank, an intertank section, forward skirt and an engine section housing four RS-25 engines that together generate 2.2 million pounds of thrust.
3. Production Pipeline and Backlog
Boeing’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans is already fabricating core stages for Artemis III–V missions, bolstering the company’s space systems backlog and supporting anticipated contract revenue from future lunar and deep-space exploration programs.