The Vertical Weld Center (VWC) at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans is a critical piece of infrastructure for American space exploration. This massive blue structure, completed in 2014, is specifically designed to fabricate the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. It employs advanced friction-stir welding and precision robotics to join large aluminum panels into cylindrical sections, forming the rocket’s fuel tanks. As one of the tallest weld centers globally, the VWC plays a central role in preparing hardware for the Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon and eventually journey to Mars.
Related photographs from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where NASA’s Space Launch System core stages are assembled for Artemis missions. 
