WGNO

Ahead of its 2024 mission, NASA rolls out rocket with parts made in New Orleans

(Photo via Boeing)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WGNO) — After 50 years, a landmark space trip will make history for women and people of color across the globe, and they’re taking a piece of New Orleans with them.

NASA’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), was rolled out on a launchpad at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, March 17 for the first time.

Constructed at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East, the rocket’s SLS core stage is the largest rocket stage ever built for NASA.

Soon, teams will conduct a special test that will simulate the system’s launch up to about 10 seconds before liftoff. After testing wraps up, NASA will then set a date for takeoff, where the first woman and person of color will land on the moon sometime in 2024.

The entire mission is part of NASA’s Artemis Plan. Want to learn more? Check out the document below for details.

The Artemis Plan