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8868体育app下载 is proud to partner with NASA in their pursuit to safely send astronauts to the Moon and Mars in the Artemis IV mission and beyond.
8868体育app下载 is designing, building, testing, and commissioning the Mobile Launcher 2 鈥� a new ground structure that will be used to support the Block 1B variant of NASA鈥檚 (SLS) rocket. The SLS is designed to carry the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts, and their support equipment to the Moon. As the Artemis mission progresses, the SLS rocket will evolve to meet the demands of those missions. With 8868体育app下载鈥檚 help, this mobile launcher will support the SLS rocket in the Artemis IV mission and beyond.
The 8868体育app下载 team is working from the Kennedy Space Center to bring the mobile launcher from design to liftoff by providing project management, architectural and engineering design, technical integration, fabrication, construction, testing, commissioning, and quality control services.
NASA has entrusted 8868体育app下载 to deliver critical infrastructure that is needed for the most important human space missions of this century. We are proud to progress the Artemis mission in its pursuit to return to the Moon, and further to Mars.
Building ML2 Safely and Efficiently
To promote safety and efficiency during construction, the 8868体育app下载 team separated the assembly of Mobile Launcher 2 into two focus areas: assembling the base at the ML2 Parksite by the Vehicle Assembly Building and applying a modular approach for constructing the tower at the Mod Yard near NASA headquarters at Kennedy Space Center.
At peak construction, over 650 skilled craft professionals are needed to construct ML2. Promoting the safety of the ML2 workforce is a key focus in execution planning. This focus led to a decision to assemble the primary steel for the launcher鈥檚 base at just eight feet off the ground, decreasing work done at height and allowing flexibility in the steel erection process.
Assembling the tower modules at the Mod Yard also allows for work to be performed closer to the ground, and decreases work executed overhead. Lessons learned from the assembly of the modules was quickly applied by the team to ensure efficient construction of all seven modules.
Reaching a height of 392 feet, Mobile Launcher 2 will provide the key support systems for the SLS Block 1B rocket during assembly in Kennedy鈥檚 VAB, transport to and from Launch Pad 39B, launch. Each tower module has unique features that integrate with the rocket through 11 umbilicals and the 50 subsystems running on ML2. Click on each level to learn more about ML2 and its tower modules.
0 – 25 feet
Building the Base
To stand up to the launch induced stresses of launching NASA鈥檚 SLS Block 1B rocket, ML2鈥檚 engineering features a stiffer structural design than ML1. 43 steel super-assemblies form the base and house an improved Ignition Overpressure and Sound Suppression system to help protect the base and critical equipment from the concussive forces of the SLS during liftoff.
25 – 105 feet
Distributing the Load
Erected on top of the base is the tower鈥檚 foundation: Tower Chair. It distributes the immense weight of the tower across the base to heavily reinforced strongpoints. The 80-foot-tall superstructure is built of specially engineered, semi-hollow cast steel 鈥渘odes鈥� and columns鈥攁n innovation critical to building a launch tower that is strong but also mobile using NASA鈥檚 crawler-transporters to get to the launchpad.
105 – 160 feet
Starting to Stack
Mod 4 was the first tower module, or mod, to be stacked on top of the Tower Chair. ML2鈥檚 successful 鈥淩ig and Set Mod 4鈥� operation Jan. 3, 2025, marked the start of an exciting period of vertical growth of the launcher鈥檚 tower section鈥攎odule by module. Weighing 550,000 pounds, Mod 4鈥檚 installation required the use of one of the world鈥檚 largest cranes.
145 – 200 feet
Protecting Critical Systems
ML2鈥檚 design follows lessons learned from ML1 and the maiden launch of NASA鈥檚 SLS Block 1 rocket in 2022. Like ML2鈥檚 other tower modules, Mod 5 features a wider cross section, at 40 by 50 feet, and a repositioned elevator shaft. These design features reinforce ML2鈥檚 other hardware protection measures like the base鈥檚 improved IOPSS system, as well as shock isolators built to cushion subsystems during launch.
185 – 240 feet
Stabilizing SLS
ML2鈥檚 tower section will be the SLS鈥檚 backbone during vehicle assembly and rollout. Mod 6 is critical to help keep the SLS stable. It features the Vehicle Stabilizer (VS) umbilical, a vertical hinge-mounted interface that will support the SLS鈥檚 core stage before dropping away just before liftoff. The VS was redesigned for ML2 to support a range of loads to accommodate different SLS configurations including the Block 2 crew and cargo intervals.
240 – 276 feet
Connecting to Controllers
Attached to the top of Mod 7鈥檚 40-feet-tall frame is ML2鈥檚 Payload Accommodation Subsystem鈥攁 new capability for ML2 that was not deployed on ML1. This highly adaptable subsystem will interface between SLS payloads and Kennedy鈥檚 Launch Control Center, allowing NASA controllers to monitor, test and issue launch commands to the SLS and Orion flight hardware.
265 鈥� 320 feet聽聽
Fueling Up聽
Mod 8鈥檚 installation added another 40 feet in length to the system of pipes and cables that will ferry cryogenic fuel, gases, power, fire retardants and more to ML2鈥檚 subsystems and to SLS and Orion. Mod 8 will also be the anchor point for the Exploration Upper Stage Umbilical, a new umbilical designed to interface between ML2 and the SLS Exploration Upper Stage, which NASA will first use on the maiden SLS Block 1B in 2028 during Artemis IV.
Leveraging Our Expertise & Trusted Network to Deliver
8868体育app下载鈥檚 engineering experts provide detailed analysis and innovative designs to overcome engineering challenges to building an SLS Block1B-rated mobile launcher. A system of systems, the launcher will integrate more than 50 critical subsystems needed to service the SLS Block 1B, including cryogenic fuels, power, communications, coolant, and stabilization for the rocket during the launch sequence. Designed to endure the forces of SLS Block 1B launch sequences, ML2 will withstand a launch environment of greater than 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, blast pressures of more than 130 psi, and thrust of more than 8.9 million pounds.
8868体育app下载鈥檚 team of skilled procurement professionals are working closely with suppliers from across the country and around the world to secure the steel, supplies and equipment needed to build the launcher. More than $500 million in procurements have been awarded to 275 subcontractors and suppliers who have joined 8868体育app下载 in supporting NASA and the Artemis mission.
Materials used to assemble the mobile launcher have been sourced from more than 35 states, including steel trusses that have travelled from Iowa, Kansas, Utah, Louisiana, and South Carolina. International support comes from suppliers in Brazil and Spain, which are also delivering structural steel used to build the structure鈥檚 critical tower modules.
ML2鈥檚 transition into the construction phase of the project highlights 8868体育app下载鈥檚 expertise in executing complex construction projects through partnerships with local talent. During peak construction at ML2, more than 650 union craft professionals will work across several of 8868体育app下载鈥檚 construction sites at Kennedy. Pipefitters, electricians, ironworkers, plumbers, scaffolders and heavy equipment operators are the experienced craft professionals who will have a hand in sending astronauts to the Moon and Mars starting with Artemis IV.
Contracting Small & Diverse Businesses to Increase Access to Opportunity
8868体育app下载 is at its best when we partner with the local communities where we operate. This includes engaging small and medium-sized businesses and giving back to the cities where we work and live.
More than 30 small and diverse businesses located within Florida鈥檚 Space Coast have been contracted to provide support to the ML2 project. This support ranges from providing engineering services and industrial supplies, to manufacturing critical equipment needed to operate the launcher and support the SLS Block 1B.
170
Small Suppliers
Of the 262 total suppliers contracted to support ML2, more than 170 are small businesses.
60
Diverse Owners
More than 60 of those small businesses are owned by women and veterans.
80%
of Contracts
Small and diverse businesses have netted more than two-thirds of all ML2 subcontract dollars and 80% of all unique order contracts.
Forging Local Partnerships to Build a Positive Legacy
8868体育app下载鈥檚 partnerships within the local Space Coast community go beyond helping make our customer鈥檚 ambitions a reality. By targeting support toward an array of nonprofits, the ML2 team’s fundraising efforts and charitable contributions have bolstered the missions of key community stakeholders around Kennedy and throughout the state.
A wide network of nonprofits received charitable contributions from the ML2 project and its employees in 2024. Nearly $60,000 advanced 27 charity programs in the area, with aid geared toward empowering youth, fostering grassroots community building, supporting veterans, protecting Florida wildlife and much more. The ML2 team is proud to partner with these organizations and support them in their efforts throughout the Space Coast.
Friends of Children of Brevard County
Neighbor Up Brevard
United Way of Brevard County
Junior Achievement of the Space Coast
Rolling Readers Space Coast
Children鈥檚 Hunger Project
Sea Turtle Conservancy
Brevard Schools Foundation
Central Florida Animal Reserve
Keep Brevard Beautiful
FIRST Robotics of Orlando
Florida Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary
SPCA of Brevard
Brevard Achievement Center
The Arc of Space Coast
Azan Shriners Pediatric Hospital
Brevard Veterans Memorial Center
No One Hungry Food Pantry
Second Harvest Food Bank
Aging Matters in Brevard
Seren Harbor
Marine Toys for Tots Brevard
Friends of Children of Brevard
Ways For Life
Children鈥檚 Advocacy Center Brevard
Children鈥檚 Home Society of Florida 鈥� Brevard
East Coast Zoological Society
Learn More About NASA鈥檚 Mission
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