Mary-Louise Hoffman
NASA has built a large machinery for assembling and testing components for the Space Launch System, a rocket the agency intends to use on manned missions to Mars or asteroids.
The agency said it will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a media briefing on Friday at its Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to demonstrate the 170-foot Vertical Assembly Center.
The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and will stream live on NASA TV and the agency website.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will join other executives from the space agency and SLS prime contractor Boeing at the event.
Bolden will be heading to Stennis Space Center in Mississippi afterward for a press briefing at the base of the B-2 Test Stand at around 2:15 p.m. Central Time.
The B-2 testing platform will be used to evaluate Boeing-made core stage and engines for the heavy-lift rocket, according to NASA.
