NASA Michoud: Vertical Weld Center for SLS Fuel Tanks

Vertical weld center at NASA Michoud Rocket Facility
The Vertical Weld Center (VWC) operates within NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This precision friction-stir welding system is engineered to join massive aluminum alloy panels, forming the rocket fuel tanks and core stages for the Space Launch System (SLS). The facility, a key site for aerospace manufacturing since the 1940s, plays a crucial role in the production of components for America's space exploration programs. The VWC's advanced tooling, visible in bright blue and yellow structures, ensures millimeter-level accuracy during assembly, a requirement for the Artemis program's deep space 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.
Photo Part Of
NASA Artemis SLS Rocket Factory
41 photos • 2018
Map
OpenStreetMap Google Maps
More from NASA Artemis SLS Rocket Factory
Boeing Gore Weld Tool at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans
Boeing Gore Weld Tool at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans
Boeing Gore Weld Tool at Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans. The facility manufactures components for next-generation aerospace vehicles, including the…
Boeing SLS Dome Friction-Stir Welding at NASA Michoud
Boeing SLS Dome Friction-Stir Welding at NASA Michoud
At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, a large aluminum dome section for the Space Launch System (SLS)…
NASA Barge Pegasus Moored on Intracoastal Waterway, LA
NASA Barge Pegasus Moored on Intracoastal Waterway, LA
The NASA barge Pegasus is moored on the Intracoastal Waterway near New Orleans, Louisiana. Constructed in 1999, the vessel initially…
NASA Space Launch System Liquid Oxygen Tank
NASA Space Launch System Liquid Oxygen Tank
A liquid oxygen tank for NASA’s Space Launch System core stage is positioned for processing inside the Michoud Assembly Facility.…
NASA SLS Rocket Model for Barge Transport Test, Michoud
NASA SLS Rocket Model for Barge Transport Test, Michoud
A full-scale model of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage is positioned outside the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility…
Vertical Weld Center, NASA Michoud
Vertical Weld Center, NASA Michoud
The Vertical Weld Center (VWC) at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, which is producing components for the Space Launch System (SLS)…
Nearby Photos

Built in Minneapolis

Photographs showcasing change over time

Browse by location, move through long-running series, or start with recent work.

© 1996–2026 Chad Davis