NASA will host an Artemis I media day at its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans Wednesday, Aug. 17. Michoud is NASA’s rocket factory, building large parts of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft that will return humans to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program.
The event includes briefings on the facility’s vital role in NASA’s exploration missions ahead of the first uncrewed flight test of SLS and Orion, targeted for launch no earlier than Aug. 29.
Media are invited to join Michoud leadership and interview subject matter experts with NASA, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, about the contributions the facility has made through the production of the SLS core stage and Orion spacecraft.
Since 1961, Michoud has been the nation’s premiere site for manufacturing and assembly of large-scale space structures throughout Apollo, Shuttle, and now Artemis. The facility has a vital role in the planned Artemis missions, building the core stage for SLS and the pressure vessel for Orion, and currently producing hardware for the Artemis II through Artemis IV missions.
The integrated system of SLS and Orion is currently stacked together at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is undergoing final preparations for the uncrewed test flight around the Moon. The mission will pave the way for a future flight test with crew before NASA establishes a regular cadence of more complex missions with astronauts on and around the Moon under Artemis.
Following presentations with Michoud leadership, media will participate in interview opportunities and a factory tour inside of our 43-acre manufacturing facility with stops in front of key hardware and tooling to highlight the facility’s efforts to build Artemis and prepare for launch.
Media interested in attending should contact Craig Betbeze at Craig.c.betbeze@nasa.gov or 504-419-5333 no later than Tuesday, Aug.16 at noon.
Media must report to the Michoud Visitor Center at Building 101, 13800 Old Gentilly Rd., New Orleans, LA 70129, by 8:30 a.m. CST. Members of the communications team will meet and escort media to the presentation location. Media will need a state issued photo identification to access the facility and will be on-site until noon CST.
All visitors to NASA facilities are required to complete a COVID-19 form attesting to their vaccination status. Those who are not fully vaccinated must provide a negative COVID-19 test conducted within the previous 72 hours. Masks are required for everyone while on-site regardless of vaccination status. Individuals who decline to answer vaccination status will not be permitted into the facility.
Visitors must adhere to the tour dress code: no sleeveless shirts, no shoes with heels over 2”, long pants only, and no backpacks.
Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and using the Moon as a steppingstone before venturing to Mars.
For more on NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, visit:
Craig Betbeze
NASA Michoud Strategic Communications Lead
Craig.c.betbeze@nasa.gov
504-419-5333