NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visited the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Wednesday, Dec. 8, for tours and briefings on the facility’s vital role in NASA’s exploration missions. Michoud is NASA’s rocket factory, building components for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft that will return humans to the Moon.
It was the first time Nelson and Melroy visited Michoud in their current roles.
Nelson and Melroy toured the 43-acre manufacturing facility and spoke with NASA engineers and subject matter experts. They saw the massive core stage liquid hydrogen tank for the Artemis II mission, Orion hardware in production, and the advanced manufacturing tools at Michoud built specifically for the production of SLS.
Michoud has been the nation’s premiere site for manufacturing and assembly of large-scale space structures since 1961 and the facility has a vital role today for the planned Artemis missions. The Michoud team is currently building the core stage for SLS, the pressure vessel for Orion, and producing hardware for the Artemis II through Artemis IV missions.
“It’s a pleasure to be at Michoud Assembly Facility and here in New Orleans. Michoud is NASA’s rocket factory and is integral to NASA’s mission,” said Nelson who was sworn in as NASA’s 14th administrator in May and tasked with carrying out the Biden administration’s vision for the agency. “Louisiana and the nation reap the benefits of this facility,” he said.
The integrated system of SLS and Orion is currently stacked together at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is entering the final phase of testing and preparations for an upcoming uncrewed flight test 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.
“Many of you witnessed the Artemis I core stage built at Michoud put through a series of rocket tests at Stennis Space Center during the Green Run Hot Fire. As a NASA astronaut, it’s difficult to describe the excitement and pride I have for this agency and the people that helped us get to this point,” said Nelson.
After an employee luncheon, Nelson and Melroy toured more of the facility and campus, discussing and viewing infrastructure areas that suffered hurricane and tornado damage, and green spaces available for development.
In Oct. 2020, Hurricane Zeta made landfall as a Category 2 in the New Orleans area and caused 50,000 square feet of roof damage to the facility. The emergency ride-out crew at Michoud recorded wind gusts of 101 mph.
In Aug. 2021, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4. Emergency ride-out crews recorded wind gusts of 110 mph and 13 inches of rain before sensors failed. Ida damaged the roofs still under repair from Zeta, and the storm’s rainfall intruded into many buildings on-site including the factory floor. After viewing the damage, Nelson had word of encouragement for the Michoud workforce.
“One thing I can share with you is that Michoud is resilient and our employees are second to none. When you reflect back on some of the natural disasters that have come through New Orleans: Betsy, Camille, Katrina, the 2017 tornado, Zeta, and most recently Ida, Michoud was affected by all of them, yet the facility bounced back each time to support NASA’s critical missions,” said Nelson.
Nelson and Melroy also highlighted the appropriations NASA secured in the recently passed funding law to help Michoud repair damage caused by Hurricane Ida.
For more on Michoud Assembly Facility, visit
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/michoud/index.html
Craig Betbeze
Craig.c.betbeze@nasa.gov
504-419-5333