NASA stacks the Artemis III SLS core stage with its boosters in the VAB

NASA integrated the Artemis III Space Launch System core stage with its twin solid rocket boosters in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, completing the short stack. The agency posted the stacked vehicle on October 28, 2026, after crews lifted the 212-foot core from High Bay 2 with a dedicated lifting beam onto the mobile launcher.

The core had come off the transfer aisle on October 22, stayed horizontal there on October 23, and met the booster segments on October 25.

Key details

• Next pad step: a tanking test at Launch Pad 39B that loads liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen only into the core stage so launch teams can rehearse the countdown.
• Crew NASA named for Artemis III: Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, flying Orion on SLS to practice rendezvous and docking with Blue Origin and SpaceX vehicles.

Once testing and checkouts are complete, teams will roll the core stage and booster stack out to Launch Pad 39B to conduct a tanking test.

Why it matters

Short-stack in the VAB is the hardware step between core arrival and a wet dress at 39B, and it is a different milestone from the earlier Artemis III mission-plan stories.

What happens next

NASA tied the next move to checkouts on the mobile launcher. Which week does the stack roll to Pad 39B?