NASA Michoud Assembly Facility
NASA, New Orleans, Louisiana
Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East is NASA's rocket factory, where the core stages of the Space Launch System are built for Artemis missions. Built in 1940 and taken over by NASA in 1961, it also made Saturn rocket stages and the Space Shuttle's external tanks.
- Company
- NASA
- Status
- Operating
- Opened
- 1961
- Employees
- 3,500
- federal
- Industry
- Aerospace and defense
- Revised
- November 11, 2026
What is made here
Large space structures, including the core stages of NASA's Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions.
Facts
| Founded as NASA site | September 7, 1961 (company: nasa.gov) |
|---|---|
| Role | Called America's Rocket Factory; NASA-owned and managed by Marshall Space Flight Center (company: nasa.gov) |
| Current work | Builds Artemis SLS core stages, shipped to Kennedy Space Center by the Pegasus barge (company: nasa.gov) |
| Past work | Saturn rocket first stages and all Space Shuttle external tanks (reference: en.wikipedia.org) |
Figures are as stated by the source named next to each one. Company figures are the company's own claims.
Can you visit?
We haven't found a public tour of this factory. See factory tours in Louisiana.
Sources
- NASA: Michoud Assembly Facility (federal, checked November 11, 2026)
- Wikipedia: Michoud Assembly Facility (reference, checked November 11, 2026)
Something changed? Send a correction with a link and we'll recheck it.