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Construction ‘Fueling’ Up for SLS Core Stage Hydrogen Tank

Gore panels
Gore panels, provided to Boeing by supplier MT Aerospace of Germany

Gore panels, provided to Boeing by supplier MT Aerospace of Germany, are stacked and ready for welding on the Gore Weld Tool at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Gore panels are aluminum alloy dome segments. They are welded together to form a dome — the end cap to NASA’s Space Launch System core stage hydrogen fuel tank. All of the hardware necessary for building the tank that will be used on the first flight of SLS has been delivered to the facility and is awaiting assembly. SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. The core stage, towering more than 200 feet, will store cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will feed the vehicle’s RS-25 engines. Boeing is the prime contractor for the SLS core stage, including avionics.

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Image Credit: Boeing