NASA has reported the integration of the Artemis III Space Launch System core stage between its two solid rocket boosters at Kennedy Space Center. The agency published the update on October 28, 2026.
The 212-foot core stage was integrated in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Together, the core stage and boosters form the rocket configuration described as the SLS short stack.
Assembling the Launch Vehicle
The core stage contains the rocket’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks and supports its main propulsion system. The solid rocket boosters are separate propulsion elements attached on either side.
Bringing these components together is a defined assembly milestone. It establishes the lower rocket configuration that will support subsequent integration and testing.
The Vehicle Assembly Building provides the enclosed space and lifting infrastructure needed to position these large components. The completed integration moves the hardware from separate major elements into an assembled configuration for the next planned activities.
Preparing for Propellant Loading
NASA’s planned test sequence includes loading hydrogen and oxygen into the core stage at Launch Pad 39B. This activity exercises the interaction between the rocket’s tanks and the ground systems used to supply and manage cryogenic propellants.
The planned loading test concerns the core-stage propellant systems. It is distinct from a launch and does not itself establish that the complete mission vehicle has finished its preparations.
Earlier reporting on the test plans places the short-stack work within preparations for the Artemis III mission.
Under the mission configuration described in that reporting, Artemis III will test Orion rendezvous and docking with commercial spacecraft. The integrated core stage and boosters provide the launch hardware configuration needed to advance toward the planned ground testing and later mission assembly activities.
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