Looking downward inside the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, this view shows the precision alignment and welding platform used to assemble rocket stages. The towering blue and yellow structure is part of the tooling for the Space Launch System core stage, where massive aluminum sections are friction-stir welded to form part of NASA’s Artemis launch vehicles.

A stairwell winds through the interior of NASA’s Vertical Assembly Center at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The industrial structure, with its orange and blue framework, provides access to various levels of the 170-foot-tall welding system used to assemble core stages of the Space Launch System. The facility supports precision manufacturing for the Artemis program’s heavy-lift rockets.

A view from the upper levels of the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The massive blue structure supports the assembly and welding of the Space Launch System’s core stage, the primary rocket used for Artemis missions. This 170-foot-tall tool precisely aligns and joins large rocket sections, a key part of NASA’s ongoing production of deep space launch vehicles.

The Orion Crew Module Adapter stands elevated on a support frame inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. This cone-shaped structure serves as the connection between the crew capsule and the European Service Module, housing critical systems for power, data, and environmental control during flight. Built as part of NASA’s Artemis program, the adapter ensures mechanical and electrical integration between Orion’s main components before launch on the Space Launch System rocket.

The Orion spacecraft’s crew module sits on a transport platform at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Built by Lockheed Martin, this pressure vessel is the primary structure that will house astronauts during Artemis missions to the Moon. The aluminum-lithium frame, painted in primer yellow, is designed to withstand both launch forces and the harsh conditions of deep space. Each module undergoes precision assembly and testing at Michoud before being shipped to Kennedy Space Center for outfitting and integration with the Space Launch System rocket.

The Orion crew module is seen in mid-assembly at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Built by Lockheed Martin, the pressure vessel forms the core structure of the spacecraft that will carry astronauts on Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. The aluminum-lithium frame is precision-welded to withstand the stresses of launch and deep-space travel, while the black sections mark window openings for crew visibility during flight. Each unit is assembled and tested at Michoud before being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center for integration with the European Service Module and the Space Launch System rocket.

The interior of NASA’s Pegasus barge shows its cavernous cargo bay, designed to carry the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket stages from New Orleans to Florida. The reinforced hull and climate-controlled enclosure protect rocket components from Gulf Coast humidity and salt exposure during transit. Originally built in 1999 to move Space Shuttle external tanks, Pegasus was lengthened and upgraded in 2014 to accommodate the larger Artemis-era core stages. The vessel remains a vital part of NASA’s logistics network, connecting Michoud Assembly Facility with Kennedy Space Center via a 900-mile inland and coastal route.

The NASA transport barge Pegasus is shown moored at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Designed to carry the massive core stages of the Space Launch System (SLS), Pegasus features a climate-controlled cargo hold and a retractable bow door to accommodate the rocket’s 212-foot-long components. Originally used to move Space Shuttle external tanks, the vessel was extensively refitted and lengthened in 2014 to support NASA’s Artemis program. It remains a key link between NASA’s Gulf Coast manufacturing site and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The NASA barge Pegasus moored along the Intracoastal Waterway near New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally built in 1999 to carry Space Shuttle external tanks from Michoud to Kennedy Space Center, the vessel was later extended and modernized to transport the massive core stages of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). Operated by the U.S. Maritime Administration and NASA’s logistics teams, Pegasus remains a vital link between Gulf Coast manufacturing and Florida launch operations for Artemis missions.

Nasa's Pegasus barge that will carry fuel tanks for the Space Launch System to other NASA facilities for testing and launches.

More Info:
NASA Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/barge-pegasus-infographic
Pegasus Barge Fact Sheet: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/sls_pegasus_fact_sheet_508_final_04212017.pdf

The main assembly hall of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana, seen from the west apron. Originally constructed during World War II for manufacturing Liberty ships and later used for Saturn V and Space Shuttle external tank production, the site continues to play a central role in the U.S. space program. Today, Boeing and NASA engineers fabricate and assemble the massive core stages of the Space Launch System (SLS) inside this facility for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

A completed dome section, likely part of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, sits wrapped and staged outside the Boeing production area at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The massive structure, used to cap propellant tanks, rests on a mobile transport frame against the weathered doors of an aging assembly hangar — a visual contrast between decades of industrial heritage and the cutting edge of modern rocketry. The surface reflections from the wet concrete emphasize the scale and symmetry of this aerospace component awaiting the next step in its journey toward integration.

A model SLS rocket outside the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. The model was used to test transporting on the NASA barge.

Inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, a massive aluminum dome section undergoes welding using a PAR Systems I-Stir Friction Welder — a precision tool developed for joining thick aerospace materials without melting them. This technique, essential for spacecraft and fuel tank construction, uses frictional heat and mechanical pressure to create exceptionally strong, defect-free joints. Boeing engineers employ the system for the assembly of rocket and space vehicle components, part of a long legacy of large-scale fabrication at Michoud dating back to the Saturn V and Space Shuttle programs.

At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Boeing engineers use a PAR Systems I-STIR Friction-Stir Welder to join massive aluminum dome sections for next-generation aerospace vehicles. The process forges metal under intense pressure and heat without melting it, producing welds with exceptional structural integrity for components such as rocket fuel tanks and spacecraft pressure vessels. The Michoud facility, once home to Saturn V and Space Shuttle tank production, continues its role as one of the nation’s key centers for large-scale precision manufacturing and spaceflight hardware assembly.

Inside the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility where the SLS and Artemis is being built.

A recreational basketball court at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans features the NASA insignia at center court and solar-powered lighting along its perimeter. The court sits on the expansive campus where large-scale aerospace hardware is built, including rocket stages and spacecraft components. Michoud, once known for producing the Saturn V and Space Shuttle external tanks, remains an active center for both engineering and community life for NASA employees and contractors.