NASA Artemis III Rocket RS-25 Engines Arrive at Kennedy Space Center

NASA Artemis III Rocket RS-25 Engines Arrive at Kennedy Space Center

Two of the four RS-25 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engines built by L3 Harris Technologies that will help launch the NASA Artemis III Mission arrived inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Together, the engines generate over 2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, powering the SLS rocket for the first 8 minutes of flight. 

The SLS rocket will use four RS-25 engines in the core stage to propel the Orion spacecraft into orbit providing over two million pounds of thrust at liftoff. NASA plans to send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery and economic benefits, to establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

The Artemis III Mission is coming together, piece by piece . . .

Planned to launch in 2027, the Artemis III Mission will practice docking the Orion spacecraft with two lunar landers in low Earth orbit. 

On future missions, including Artemis IV in 2028, landers will bring astronauts to the lunar surface. While Artemis III will not land on the Moon, it will test the complex capabilities NASA needs to return—this time to stay.

Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Credit: NASA

Duration: 39 seconds
Date: June 23, 2026

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