With Artemis II, SLS could become the most powerful rocket ever to launch humans. Its four main engines burn roughly 700,000 gallons of ultra-cold fuel, producing enough oomph to keep eight Boeing 747s aloft. Future versions of SLS, if they come to fruition, could deliver even greater power.

Just moving out the moon-bound rocket to the launch pad was an incredible engineering feat. Watch how NASA got it done.

NASA has confirmed the upcoming milestones for its historic Artemis II mission—the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft, sending four astronauts on a lunar flyby for the first time in over 50 years—with rollout and Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) to set the stage for a potential launch in February.

The rise of the commercial space industry precipitated a steeper decline at Rocketdyne. Boeing sold the Rocketdyne division to Pratt & Whitney in 2005 for $700 million, or approximately $1.2 billion adjusted for inflation. This was the year before SpaceX launched its first rocket, and a few years before NASA wound down the Space Shuttle program.

Redmond facility will become part of Rocketdyne joint venture created by $845 million deal involving L3Harris and AE Industrial Partners.