SLS Forward Skirt: Flight Control Assembly, New Orleans

The forward skirt section of NASA’s Space Launch System is shown shortly after its final assembly at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. This uppermost segment houses the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and camera systems, serving as the control center that guides the SLS during launch and ascent. Built for the Artemis I (Exploration Mission-1) mission, this critical structure was manufactured at Michoud, a significant NASA facility with a long history of producing large-scale aerospace components. It would later be integrated into the core stage for its 2020 launch from Kennedy Space Center, marking a key step in the Artemis program's efforts to return humans to the Moon. Related photographs from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where NASA’s Space Launch System core stages are assembled for Artemis missions.