![]() ![]() ![]() When finished, the ML-2 will stand about 355 feet tall and weigh 11.3 million pounds. The SLS Block 1B configuration will be used to send cargo to the moon underNASA’s Artemis program. Thursday’s steel truss arrival was only the third of 43 set to make their way to KSC as the behemoth structure takes shape.Īn artist rendering of crawler-transporter 2, with the mobile launcher 2 and Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B atop, as it makesits way to Launch Pad 39B in preparation for liftoff. under the guidance of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team based at KSC. ML-2 is being constructed by primary contractor Bechtel National Inc. ![]() The height increase is due to SLS getting rid of what’s called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) used to propel the Orion space capsule to the moon in favor of the more powerful and roomier Exploration Upper Stage beginning with Artemis IV, a mission currently on NASA’s roadmap for no earlier than 2028. The need for a second mobile launcher is driven by what will be a version of SLS that’s 40 feet taller called the Block 1B. While work continues to get that launcher ready for next year’s crewed Artemis II mission, an even bigger mobile launcher will be needed for future launches, and NASA just got its hands on the first major steel trusses so it can begin construction on mobile launcher 2 (ML-2) later this summer. NASA’s Space Launch System that set the record for most powerful rocket to ever blast into orbit last November on the Artemis I mission left its mobile launcher in need of some repair before it can be used again. ![]()
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