Boeing technicians use cranes and specially designed lift fixtures to move a dome cap onto the Circumferential Dome Weld Tool for welding to the dome and a ring, forming a completed end cap for 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.
View Related Gore Weld Tool Image
View Related Gore panels Image
Image Credit: Boeing