Artemis 2 moon rocket coming together ahead of 2024 astronaut launch (photo)

orange rocket stage lies on its side in a big hangar. white stripes mark the edge of the rocket and a machine of some sort sits in front of it. technicians walk in front of the rocket with yellow safety vests

NASA just reached a big milestone in moon rocket assembly.

The agency's crewed Artemis 2 mission, which will launch to the moon as soon as 2024, will use a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage that is nearly ready, an update from NASA officials indicated on Tuesday (March 21). The core stage is now fully assembled, aside from its four RS-25 engines, which will be popped on shortly.