NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is abuzz with activity as construction of the twin rocket boosters for Artemis 2, a mission to the moon with four astronauts, is underway. The boosters, weighing a staggering 1.6 million pounds each, arrived at KSC in early October following their construction in Utah.

The boosters, manufactured by Northrop Grumman, are set to provide the necessary boost to NASA's powerful Space Launch System rocket. To give some perspective, NASA officials have compared the weight of each booster to that of four blue whales, coming in at an impressive 720,000 kg.

The assembling process began with the aft assembly of each booster. NASA officials shared in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the left and right aft motor segments were successfully mated to the aft skirts. This will be followed by the installation of the aft exit cones.

Captured in a new timelapse video, the movement of these colossal pieces within the KSC factory is a complex and meticulous task. Each segment carries a weight of approximately 150 tons and ranges in height from 26 to 33 feet. The facility's two 200-ton cranes are employed to carefully maneuver each segment from a horizontal to vertical position and transport them to the buildup stands.

Once fully assembled, each booster will consist of five segments. The design is based on the booster used in the space shuttle program but has been modified to accommodate the larger SLS. As a result, technicians will attach an additional segment to each SLS booster compared to the shuttle boosters.

While the aft assembly work progresses at KSC's Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility, other booster pieces are stored nearby. The aft skirts were already present at KSC as they were produced at the center's Booster Fabrication Facility.

In the future, all booster segments, including the fully assembled aft assemblies and the segments awaiting construction, will be moved to NASA's iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC. These rocket components will then undergo further assembly on top of the mobile launcher, the towering structure that supports the SLS during launch.

However, the mobile launcher is currently occupied with essential testing at Launch Pad 39A, where the moon mission is scheduled to initiate. Recently, it underwent a water deluge test to evaluate the system that suppresses the powerful shockwaves generated by the SLS and boosters during launch to protect nearby equipment from damage.

As NASA marches towards its ambitious goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2024, the construction and assembly of the Artemis 2 rocket boosters at KSC highlight the meticulous planning and engineering involved in preparing for such an extraordinary mission.