Photo credit: www.nasa.gov

Progress on NASA’s Artemis Missions: Building the Future of Lunar Exploration

Collaborative efforts with NASA are gaining traction as preparations advance for upcoming lunar missions aimed at benefiting humanity. Numerous shipments of flight hardware have recently arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking a significant step toward the first crewed Artemis flight test and subsequent lunar initiatives. As the work unfolds, the skyline at Kennedy is expected to change with the addition of new structures essential for supporting these missions.

Simultaneously, teams are also engaged in preparations for the Artemis II flight alongside the construction of NASA’s mobile launcher 2 tower. This equipment will be critical for the launch of the Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B rocket, which will debut with Artemis IV. This advanced version of the SLS will feature a more powerful upper stage, allowing for increased payload capacities to support crewed missions and additional cargo bound for the Moon. Testing for the upper stage umbilical connections has commenced, which will facilitate the supply of fuel and other necessary components to the rocket on the launch pad.

In the summer of 2024, NASA technicians and workers from contractor Bechtel National, Inc. achieved a significant milestone called the “jack and set.” This involved the repositioning of the mobile launcher 2’s initial steel base assembly from temporary shoring to its permanent positioning on six pedestals located near the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center.

“The NASA Bechtel mobile launcher 2 team is ahead of schedule and gaining momentum by the day,” remarked Darrell Foster, the ground systems integration manager for NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program. “Alongside the progress at our main construction site, the remaining tower modules are being assembled and outfitted at a secondary site on the center.”

As work on the mobile launcher 2 base continues, attention has shifted towards integrating the modules to form the tower structure. By mid-October 2024, crews had successfully installed a component referred to as the “chair.” Resembling a giant seat, this chair serves as the connection point between the base deck and the tower’s vertical modules, standing at an impressive 80 feet tall.

In December 2024, further advancements occurred with the completion of the rig and set operation for Module 4, the first of seven modules, each measuring 40 feet in height. The Bechtel teams utilized a heavy lift crane to elevate this module over 150 feet and affixed it securely to the chair. Once the construction is finalized, the entire mobile launcher structure is projected to reach nearly 400 feet in height—approximately the length of four Olympic-sized swimming pools arranged end to end.

Meanwhile, on a different front at the center, testing teams at the Launch Equipment Test Facility are conducting evaluations on the new umbilical interfaces that will be used with mobile launcher 2. These umbilicals are critical as they will connect and supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatic pressure, instrumentation, and electrical connections between the mobile launcher and the upper stage, as well as NASA’s Orion spacecraft.

“We have successfully completed all ambient temperature tests, and now we are moving on to cryogenic testing,” noted Kevin Jumper, lab manager at the NASA Launch Equipment Test Facility. “This phase will involve liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen flowing through the umbilicals to verify their performance.” The team focused on the Exploration Upper Stage umbilicals has made considerable strides in the verification and checkout processes.

As part of the ongoing efforts, retraction testing of the Exploration Upper Stage umbilicals is currently underway at the facility. This testing will ensure that the umbilical arms designed for installation on mobile launcher 2 operate correctly during launch. The test team remotely initiates the retraction of these arms, which is crucial for ensuring that both ground and flight umbilical plates separate seamlessly at lift-off.

Source
www.nasa.gov