These boosters will contribute to the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, generating millions of pounds of thrust upon ignition, surpassing the capabilities of the Saturn V rocket.

The Artemis II mission aims to send four astronauts around the Moon in an Orion Capsule, similar to the historic Apollo 8 journey.

Each solid rocket booster stands 177 feet tall and will provide the majority of the 8.8 million pounds of thrust needed for the mission.

The crew for Artemis II includes astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.

NASA has successfully completed the stacking of twin solid rocket boosters for the Artemis II mission at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The integration of the last booster segments has completed the configuration, which includes aerodynamic tops, avionics, and motors for separation from the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage.

This assembly milestone was achieved on February 19, 2025, marking a significant step forward for the mission.

A total of 10 segments were transported from Northrop Grumman's facility in Utah to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for this process, arriving by train in September 2023.

The mission will span 10 days, contributing to scientific discovery and laying the groundwork for future crewed missions to Mars.

The stacking process began on November 20, 2024, utilizing advanced techniques and a massive overhead crane to accurately position each booster segment.

Engineers are now preparing to integrate the SLS core stage, which is currently being processed in the VAB’s High Bay 2.

This will be NASA's first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, with the crew tasked with testing systems essential for future lunar landings.