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The next Artemis mission, Artemis III, is continuing to build and assemble critical flight hardware. Recently, at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Cape Kennedy, the propulsive sections of the solid rocket boosters of the Artemis III SLS (Space Launch System) have been completed. This means that all of the fuel sections of the solid rocket boosters have been finished. Now, NASA is currently finishing the aerodynamic cone on the top of the rocket, which contains seperation motors (engine that quickly pulls booster away from SLS when booster seperation occurs). Once all parts of the boosters have been completed, they will be mated (that is, attached) to the core stage, which is currently also in the final stages of completion.
Once all of these steps have been completed, current NASA protocols indicate a "wet dress rehearsal" will occur, where SLS will be rolled out to the launchpad for a fuel fueling and draining test, primarily to check the pressure and seal of the core stage's liquid oxygen and hydrogen cryogenic fuel tanks.
In the past month, the four, RS-25 Shuttle-Era engines have been attached to the core stage of SLS, and are currently undergoing testing for connectivity and function. These booster and engine installations are huge steps for the June 2027 launch of Artemis III, a low Earth orbit mission to dock and test the lunar landers that will return Americans to the lunar surface in early 2028.
Artemis III's crew is continuing with training and prepardness, and NASA has admitted some setbacks with schedules for launch. The largest setback for the launch of Artemis II was the liquid hydrogen leak that delayed the launch from February to early April. Thankfully, this issue has been remedied with a new cryogenic port connecting the Mobile Launcher 2 (SLS launchpad) and the hydrogen and oxygen tanks.
Future updates on Artemis III will continue as the mission progresses in construction and readiness and sets a date for a June 2027 launch.
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