Orion Crew Module in Primer at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility

The Orion spacecraft's crew module, painted in primer yellow, rests on a transport platform at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This Lockheed Martin-built pressure vessel serves as the primary structure designed to house astronauts during the Artemis missions to the Moon. Its robust aluminum-lithium frame is engineered to withstand the intense forces of launch and the harsh conditions of deep space. Michoud, a site with a significant history in aerospace manufacturing, conducts precision assembly and testing of each module before its shipment to Kennedy Space Center for outfitting and integration with the Space Launch System 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.