Michoud: The Six-Decade Forge Behind Artemis’ Lunar Return

New Orleans' Michoud Assembly Facility has long produced major rocket stages for NASA—from Saturn V and Space Shuttle external tanks to the Space Launch System core stages for Artemis. With Artemis II crewed and Artemis III targeting mid-2027, production workflows have evolved to complete more of the core stage at Michoud before final assembly at Kennedy Space Center, underscoring the facility's central role in America's lunar ambitions while its workforce weather the program's ups and downs.