The NASA Mobile Launcher begins its journey from a park location near the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B. Image: NASA.
The launch tower that powered the first of three Artemis moon missions returned to action for the first time Wednesday after more than half a year of repairs and upgrades.
NASA’s 380-foot manportable launcher (ML1) began its run from its parking lot near the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at 8:27 a.m. EDT (1227 UTC) towards Launch Complex 39B. This is the first time the tower has returned to the platform since the launch of the Artemis 1 mission in November 2022.
Since that maiden launch, the structure has undergone a series of repairs, including work carried out to certify the crew access arm and set up an emergency egress system, which helps astronauts and support crew quickly escape from the proximity of the rocket in the event of an explosion. emergency state.
NASA will slowly roll the ML1 into the plate atop the crawler carrier and park the vehicle outside the gate by the end of Wednesday. He will work hard and be consistent on Thursday before his ongoing time trial campaign.
The Exploration Ground Systems team from the Kennedy Space Center will undergo a series of tests, such as launch day demonstrations for the crew, shutdown crew and rescue team.
After sufficient registration, ML1 will move from board to VAB to prepare for vehicle buildup which is scheduled to begin in February. NASA aims to launch a manned Artemis 2 mission in November 2024.
“Evil thinker. Bachelor of music. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon freak. Amateur internet enthusiast. introverts.”
2023-08-17 02:19:01
#NASAs #Moon #Program #Portable #Launcher #Returns #Launch #Pad #Testing #Spaceflight
