Friction-stir-weld tool for wet and dry structures on the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. It will weld barrel panels together to produce whole barrels for the two pressurized tanks, the intertank, the forward skirt and the aft engine section.

More Info: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/

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.