In 2018, I was given the rare opportunity by NASA take photos inside their Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. NASA MAF is home to the assembly of the Space Launch System rocket being built to send the Orion Spacecraft into space. The Artemis 1 mission was successfully completed on December 11th, 2022 after being launched 25 days earlier on November 16th. Artemis II is scheduled to be the first manned mission that will send four astronauts on a lunar flyby for 21 days. The current launch date is November 2024.

The NASA logo illuminated on the side of the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established during World War II and later repurposed for the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, the vast complex continues to play a central role in U.S. space manufacturing. Today, Michoud supports construction of major components for NASA’s Artemis missions, including the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

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 the Vertical Weld Center. The 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, the Vertical Weld Center is shown — a precision friction-stir welding system used to join the massive aluminum alloy panels that form rocket fuel tanks and core stages for the Space Launch System. The bright blue and yellow structures are part of the tooling system that ensures millimeter-level accuracy during assembly, critical for the Artemis program’s deep space missions.

Inside the cavernous NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, the green-painted structure of a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket component dominates the factory floor. Surrounded by yellow access platforms and intricate piping, this section is part of the massive tooling infrastructure used to assemble and test rocket core stages. Overhead cranes and precision systems support Boeing’s production of “America’s Rocket,” with each stage destined for integration into NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.

The interior of the Space Launch System (SLS) fuel tank at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility.

NASA Core Stage Infographic: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics/corestage101.html
Space Launch System: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

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. This uppermost segment houses the rocket’s flight computers, avionics, and camera systems, forming the control center that guides the SLS during launch and ascent. Built for Artemis I (Exploration Mission-1), this structure would later be integrated into the core stage for its 2020 launch from Kennedy Space Center.

Inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, an advanced robotic welding system—developed by Genesis Systems Group and Boeing—assembles major components for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage. Using friction stir welding, the robot precisely joins massive aluminum panels into the rocket’s fuel tanks and structural sections. The process ensures unmatched strength and reliability, critical for the launch vehicle that powers NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Precision barrel tooling used in the assembly of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage stands on the production floor at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. These fixtures hold massive aluminum panels in place during the friction stir welding process, ensuring perfect alignment and uniform curvature for the rocket’s cylindrical sections. Behind the tooling, the metallic structure of a completed barrel segment can be seen, ready for the next stage of integration.

The inside of a Space Launch System (SLS) barrel used for the liquid hydrogen tank. It’s made of AI 2219, an aerospace aluminum alloy.

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

A long corridor inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans showcases decades of spaceflight heritage through a display of mission patches and crew insignias. Each emblem represents a milestone in American aerospace history — from early shuttle missions to modern exploration programs. The polished concrete floors and fluorescent lighting emphasize the industrial precision of the facility, while the colorful insignias serve as a vivid reminder of the human stories behind the technology.

The large Space Launch System print on the wall was placed there to show what is being built in this room.

Looking down into the massive cleaning cell inside the Vertical Assembly Center at NASA Michoud Assembly Facility.

The massive washing facility is used to wash the insides of the Space Launch System(SLS) fuel tanks. The SLS rocket will be the world’s largest rocket ever built.

The towering interior of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where major components for the Space Launch System rocket are fabricated and assembled. The multilevel platforms, access walkways, and heavy structural supports surround the massive Vertical Assembly Area—an environment designed for precision alignment of rocket stages that will power Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

A bright blue and yellow tooling structure dominates this section of NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Built by Ascent Aerospace’s Global Tooling Systems division, this heavy-duty platform is part of the specialized infrastructure used to assemble components of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The steel frame supports massive cylindrical sections during alignment and welding, forming part of the precision manufacturing ecosystem that enables Artemis missions to take shape from the ground up.

A Liquid Oxygen tank being worked on inside Cell A at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. It’s part of the Space Launch System Core Stage. The tank will hold 195,000 gallons of liquid oxygen cooled to -297 degrees Fahrenheit.

Inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, this massive blue structure is the Vertical Weld Center, used to fabricate the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The machine employs friction-stir welding to join aluminum panels into large cylindrical sections that form the rocket’s fuel tanks. Operated by precision robotics, the weld center is one of the tallest of its kind in the world and plays a central role in preparing hardware for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

A high-angle view inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans shows the enormous vertical welding and assembly bays used to build sections of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The towering circular structure on the left is part of the Vertical Weld Center, where cylindrical rocket segments are precisely joined using friction-stir welding. Catwalks and access platforms ring the interior, supporting technicians during construction of the world’s most powerful launch vehicle for the Artemis program.

An elevated view of the overhead gantry crane system inside NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. These yellow steel cranes are used to lift and maneuver rocket sections, including the massive Space Launch System core stages, within the cavernous production hall. The network of platforms, rails, and suspended hooks demonstrates the industrial scale of spacecraft manufacturing that has taken place here since the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.