NASA Michoud: SLS Core Stage Friction-Stir-Weld Tool

The Vertical Weld Center at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana houses the friction-stir-weld tool, a critical piece of infrastructure for the Space Launch System (SLS) program. This specialized tool is designed to weld barrel panels for both wet and dry structures of the SLS core stage. It precisely joins these panels to form complete barrels for the rocket's two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt, and the aft engine section. The SLS core stage is a fundamental component of NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars. The facility plays a vital role in the production of America's next-generation heavy-lift rocket. Related photographs from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where NASA’s Space Launch System core stages are assembled for Artemis missions.