A full-scale model of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage is positioned outside the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. This model was specifically constructed to conduct critical tests for transporting the massive rocket components via the NASA barge. Such tests are vital to ensure the safe and efficient movement of flight hardware from the manufacturing site to launch facilities. The Michoud Assembly Facility plays a key role in the production of the SLS rocket, which is central to NASA's Artemis program for human lunar exploration.
Related photographs from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where NASA’s Space Launch System core stages are assembled for Artemis missions. 
