The Spacecraft Adapter Cone for NASA’s Orion Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) is shown during assembly inside the manufacturing facility. This conical structure connects the Orion crew module and service module to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, housing critical components such as separation hardware, wiring harnesses, and payload deployment systems. Its reinforced aluminum construction includes visible thermal protection areas, structural attachment brackets, and integrated circuitry for communication and control. EM-1, later renamed Artemis I, was designed as an uncrewed test flight to evaluate Orion’s deep-space capabilities for future crewed lunar missions.
Related photographs from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where NASA’s Space Launch System core stages are assembled for Artemis missions.
Photo taken in August 2018. © 2026 Chad Davis
