For the first time in 50 years, a rocket capable of going to the moon is on a launchpad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s most powerful rocket, rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B for the first time on March 17.
The teams will soon conduct a countdown test called the wet dress rehearsal, where they will fuel the rocket and simulate a launch sequence up to around 10 seconds before liftoff. You can read more here.
Boeing is the prime contractor for the design, development, test and production of the SLS core stage, as well as development of the rocket’s flight avionics suite.
The SLS is the only rocket capable of sending crew, the Orion capsule and heavy cargo to the moon on a single mission.
This is extremely important as NASA works to build a sustainable presence on the Moon ahead of its missions to Mars.
In Florida, Boeing employees support several space programs including the SLS, International Space Station, Starliner and X-37B.