It's Ready! Artemis I SLS Super Rocket Now Branded With Classic NASA 'Worm' Logo

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) new rocket boosters just got the classic NASA "worm" logo painted on them.

The Administration recently announced that it has finished painting its classic worm logo on the Space Launch System's (SLS) solid rocket boosters in preparation for the Artemis I mission to the Moon.

A CNET article added that the Orion capsule would also go into space with NASA's worm logo.

Artemis I Paintjob Details

According to NASA's post, the painters who added the iconic logo on the SLS' rocket boosters did so while the booster's segments were stacked on the mobile launcher in preparation for the Artemis I launch.

The paint job for the SLS' rocket boosters started in 2020 when NASA resumed work on the SLS after the halts and delays brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, per Space Flight Now. However, the paint job was only completed on March 15 to allow workers to fully assemble the boosters.

NASA mentioned in its post that the rocket boosters were fully assembled thanks to the installation of the tracks of cable lining in each of the rocket's dual sets of five segments, which enabled painters to finish NASA's worm logo.

Now with its paint job done and its rocket booster fully assembled, the SLS can be rolled out to NASA's launchpad for the wet dress rehearsal test on March 17.

The upcoming wet dress rehearsal consists of loading the rocket with a propellant which it must pass before NASA could set a more specific launch date for Artemis I.

Details on the SLS and Its Mission

According to the Administration, the SLS is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle that will serve as the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth's orbit. Thanks to its powerful twin boosters and four rocket engines, the SLS can send astronauts, NASA's Orion capsule, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

A previous iTech Post article also mentioned that the SLS was designed to be evolvable, allowing the rocket to possibly conduct more types of space missions from the Moon and beyond.

Meanwhile, NASA's Orion capsule, which will be attached to the SLS, will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry and sustain crew members in space while providing emergency abort capabilities and safe reentry from deep space return velocities, per a separate NASA article.

Both Orion and the SLS will be used for the Artemis I mission, the first of three Artemis missions that would pave the way for the first woman and first person of color to set foot on the Moon, per a previous iTechPost report.

According to NASA, the Artemis I mission is unmanned, and as such, it will be NASA's test to see if the rocket and its deep space exploration systems can takeoff, go around the moon, and return to Earth in one piece.