Jacobs to perform final checkout and integration of Artemis I hardware

Prime test and operations contractor Jacobs will perform the final checkout and integration of all flight hardware for Nasa’s Artemis I mission around the Moon.

Inspection and final processing activities include installing sensors on the motor segments of the solid rocket boosters (SRB) as part of its Space Launch System (SLS), integration and assembling.

Nasa took delivery of the motor segments of the SRB at the Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida, US, on 15 June.

The Jacobs team received the solid propellant-filled SRB hardware from Northrup Grumman (NG).

The segments will also be joined with aft exit cones to form aft assemblies for SRBs. These aft assemblies will then be stacked on the mobile launcher.

Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions senior vice-president Steve Arnette said: “The arrival of the SRB components means we are getting very close to the stacking of flight hardware in the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC.

“Once our team has conducted final inspections, processing and mating of the SRB segments, they will transport everything to the VAB for stacking to begin.”

On 24 June, Jacobs integrated the first of two SLS aft motor segments with the aft skirts at the Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility (RPSF) at the KSC.

Containing five solid fuel segments, each 177ft-tall SRBs will provide 3.6Mlb of maximum thrust for the SLS rocket.

Marking the first launch of SLS and Orion, Artemis is scheduled for launch next year.