A member of the Artemis 1 launch team participates in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report:

www.gao.gov/products/GAO-22-105323

NASA Lunar Programs: Improved Mission Guidance Needed as Artemis Complexity Grows

Progress continues on the new flame trench at Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Construction workers with J.P. Donovan of Rockledge, Florida, are on an elevated work stand to install new heat-resistant bricks on the north side of the flame trench. The Pad B flame trench is being refurbished to support the launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program at Kennedy is helping transform the space center into a multi-user spaceport and prepare for Exploration Mission 1, deep space missions, and NASA's Journey to Mars. For more information about GSDO, visit: www.nasa.gov/groundsystems. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

With the Moon and nighttime sky serving as the backdrop, Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher is illuminated in the night as it makes its last solo trek to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B in Florida on June 27, 2019. The mobile launcher departed from the Vehicle Assembly Building at midnight on June 27 for the 10-hour journey to the pad, where it will remain for the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Jeremy Graeber, chief NASA test director, participates in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The Artemis 1 launch team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

From left, Jeremy Graeber, chief NASA test director, and Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis 1 launch director, participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The launch team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Eric Ernst, NASA Mobile Launcher project manager, talks to members of the media beneath the mobile launcher (ML) at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft during Exploration Mission-1. The ML base and tower structure were modified to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A contract recently was awarded to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin the next phase of work on the 380-foot-tall (including the base) steel structure. The scope of work includes the installation of mechanical, electrical and fluid subsystems, including 800 mechanical, fluid and electrical panels, about 300,000-plus feet of cabling, and miles of tubing and piping. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Eric Ernst, at right, NASA Mobile Launcher project manager, talks to members of the media on the zero level or base of the mobile launcher (ML) at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft during Exploration Mission-1. The ML base and tower structure were modified to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A contract recently was awarded to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin the next phase of work on the 380-foot-tall (including the base) steel structure. The scope of work includes the installation of mechanical, electrical and fluid subsystems, including 800 mechanical, fluid and electrical panels, about 300,000-plus feet of cabling, and miles of tubing and piping. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Jeremy Graeber, chief NASA test director, participates in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The Artemis 1 launch team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Eric Ernst, NASA Mobile Launcher project manager, talks to members of the media beneath the mobile launcher (ML) at the Mobile Launcher Park Site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ML will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft during Exploration Mission-1. The ML base and tower structure were modified to accommodate the weight, size and thrust at launch of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A contract recently was awarded to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin the next phase of work on the 380-foot-tall (including the base) steel structure. The scope of work includes the installation of mechanical, electrical and fluid subsystems, including 800 mechanical, fluid and electrical panels, about 300,000-plus feet of cabling, and miles of tubing and piping. The ML is one of the key elements of ground support equipment that is being upgraded by the Ground Systems Development and Operations Program at Kennedy. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher continues its journey atop crawler-transporter 2 up to the pad surface on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher began its final solo trek to the pad at midnight on June 27, departing from NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

A flatbed truck, carrying the second half of the J level work platforms for the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), moves slowly toward the VAB at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform was transported from Sauer Co. in Oak Hill, Florida. It was fabricated by Steel LLC of Scottdale, Georgia, and assembled by Sauer. A contract to modify High Bay 3 in the VAB was awarded to Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando, Florida in March 2014. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the high bay to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

The Orion Stage Adapter (OSA), secured on flatbed transporter, is moved into the airlock at the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The OSA is the second flight-hardware section of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to arrive at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the SSPF in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Construction workers stage parts and equipment nearby Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 22, 2019. The launch pad has undergone upgrades and modifications to accommodate NASA's Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft for Exploration Mission-1 and subsequent missions. Upgrades include new heat-resistant bricks on the walls of the flame trench and installation of a new flame deflector. All of the upgrades have been managed by Exploration Ground Systems. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Preparations are underway for Load Test #1 on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) arm for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida. The test will consist of applying six vertical loads and eight horizontal loads onto the truss in the retracted position to simulate the effects of a launch on the structure. A load test tower was designed and fabricated at Coastal Steel for the test. Engineers and technicians from NASA Kennedy Space Center and Coastal will apply the loads by hanging weights off the ICPSU structure. Vertical loads will be applied by hanging the weights directly, and horizontal loads will be applied by a rope that wraps over an adjacent pipe on the load test tower. The ICPSU is one of the umbilical arms that will be attached to the mobile launcher. The umbilical will be located at the about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatics, hazard gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environmental control systems to the interim cryogenic propulsive stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

A freshly painted NASA’s Artemis logo is unveiled on the White Room connected to the crew access arm and mobile launcher inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. The White Room is the area where the Artemis II crew Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will enter the Orion spacecraft ahead of launch from Launch Complex 39B at NASA Kennedy in early 2026. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA image use policy.

A 325-ton crane has lifted the first half of the K-level work platforms up and out of High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being moved across the transfer aisle that runs down the center of the VAB and will be lowered into High Bay 3. It will be secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

A 325-ton crane lowers the first half of the K-level work platforms into High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be secured into position on tower E, about 86 feet above the floor. The K work platforms will provide access to NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers assist as a crane moves the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) to a work area. The OSA is the second flight-hardware section of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to arrive at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's SSSPF in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

NASA image use policy.

Artemis 1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson leads the launch team through validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

A member of the Artemis 1 launch team participates in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the firing room consoles and communications systems, as well as the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS), which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

The first half of the J level work platforms is being moved on a transporter from the parking lot staging area to the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, the platform will be lifted off of the transporter and placed onto support stands. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

After completing its journey from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans aboard the Pegasus barge, teams with Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) transport the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) core stage into the transfer aisle inside Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. In the coming months, SLS will be prepared for integration atop the mobile launcher ahead of the Artemis II launch. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson

NASA image use policy.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers assist as a crane moves the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) to a work area. The OSA is the second flight-hardware section of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to arrive at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS, in view behind the OSA, are being stored for processing in the center's SSPF in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

NASA image use policy.

A construction worker with JP Donovan helps prepare the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) for installation high up on the tower of the mobile launcher (ML) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The last of the large umbilicals to be installed, the ICPSU will provide super-cooled hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's interim cryogenic propulsion stage, or upper stage, at T-0 for Exploration Mission-1. The umbilical will be located at about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, gaseous helium, hazardous gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environment control systems to the upper stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Exploration Ground Systems is overseeing installation of the umbilicals on the ML. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Members of the Artemis 1 launch team, including personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC), participate in validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 11, 2019.

The team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) and Jacobs Test and Operations Contract (TOSC). The simulation was designed to validate the new Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) which will operate, monitor and coordinate ground equipment in preparation for Artemis 1, the uncrewed first flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Buildup of a steel structure is underway for Load Test #1 on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) arm for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida. The test will consist of applying six vertical loads and eight horizontal loads onto the truss in the retracted position to simulate the effects of a launch on the structure. A load test tower was designed and fabricated at Coastal Steel for the test. Engineers and technicians from NASA Kennedy Space Center and Coastal will apply the loads by hanging weights off the ICPSU structure. Vertical loads will be applied by hanging the weights directly, and horizontal loads will be applied by a rope that wraps over an adjacent pipe on the load test tower. The ICPSU is one of the umbilical arms that will be attached to the mobile launcher. The umbilical will be located at the about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatics, hazard gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environmental control systems to the interim cryogenic propulsive stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

Michael Guzman, an umbilical engineer, monitors his console in Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, during a terminal countdown demonstration for Exploration Mission 1, or EM-1, on Dec. 14, 2018. The launch will be the first integrated test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft that will eventually take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon and Mars. The countdown demonstration was intended to validate the launch team's capability to perform an EM-1 countdown and respond to challenges put into the system for practice. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

NASA image use policy.

Progress on the new brick walls of the north side of the flame trench at Launch Pad 39B is seen in a view from the top of the pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Construction workers with J.P. Donovan of Rockledge, Florida, continue to install new heat-resistant bricks on the concrete walls. The Pad B flame trench is being refurbished to support the launch of NASA's Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program at Kennedy is helping transform the space center into a multi-user spaceport and prepare for Exploration Mission 1, deep-space missions, and NASA's Journey to Mars. For more information about GSDO, visit: www.nasa.gov/groundsystems. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Preparations are underway to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up from High Bay 4 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform will be lifted up and over the transfer aisle and then lowered into High Bay 3 for installation. It will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

A 250-ton crane is used to lift the second half of the K-level work platforms for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket high above the transfer aisle inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The platform is being lifted up for transfer into High Bay 3 for installation. The platform will be secured about 86 feet above the VAB floor, on tower E of the high bay. The K work platforms will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

NASA image use policy.

In High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a 325-ton crane is being used to lift the first half of the K-level work platforms for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). The platform will be installed about 86 feet above the floor and will provide access to the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters during processing and stacking operations on the mobile launcher. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of the SLS and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing. Photo credit: NASA/Glen Benson

NASA image use policy.

A transporter containing the first half of the J level work platforms enters the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, the platform will be lifted off of the transporter and placed onto support stands in the transfer aisle. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing upgrades and modifications to High Bay 3 to support processing of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft. A total of 10 levels of new platforms, 20 platforms altogether, will surround the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and provide access for testing and processing in High Bay 3. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, workers assist as a crane lifts the Orion Stage Adapter (OSA) away from the flatbed of a transport truck. The OSA is the second flight-hardware section of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to arrive at Kennedy. The OSA will connect the Orion spacecraft to the upper part of the SLS, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS). Both the OSA and ICPS are being stored for processing in the center's SSPF in preparation for Exploration Mission-1, the first uncrewed, integrated launch of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson

NASA image use policy.

In this wide-angle view, engineers and technicians position an S-band antenna on its support pedestal at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The antenna will provide a crucial tracking capability following liftoff of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The S-band portion of the microwave spectrum combines command, voice and television signals though a single antenna.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

Preparations are underway for Load Test #1 on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) arm for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida. The test will consist of applying six vertical loads and eight horizontal loads onto the truss in the retracted position to simulate the effects of a launch on the structure. A load test tower was designed and fabricated at Coastal Steel for the test. Engineers and technicians from NASA Kennedy Space Center and Coastal will apply the loads by hanging weights off the ICPSU structure. Vertical loads will be applied by hanging the weights directly, and horizontal loads will be applied by a rope that wraps over an adjacent pipe on the load test tower. The ICPSU is one of the umbilical arms that will be attached to the mobile launcher. The umbilical will be located at the about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatics, hazard gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environmental control systems to the interim cryogenic propulsive stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

Preparations are underway for Load Test #1 on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) arm for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida. The test will consist of applying six vertical loads and eight horizontal loads onto the truss in the retracted position to simulate the effects of a launch on the structure. A load test tower was designed and fabricated at Coastal Steel for the test. Engineers and technicians from NASA Kennedy Space Center and Coastal will apply the loads by hanging weights off the ICPSU structure. Vertical loads will be applied by hanging the weights directly, and horizontal loads will be applied by a rope that wraps over an adjacent pipe on the load test tower. The ICPSU is one of the umbilical arms that will be attached to the mobile launcher. The umbilical will be located at the about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatics, hazardous gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environmental control systems to the interim cryogenic propulsive stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

Preparations are underway for Load Test #1 on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage Umbilical (ICPSU) arm for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at Coastal Steel in Cocoa, Florida. The test will consist of applying six vertical loads and eight horizontal loads onto the truss in the retracted position to simulate the effects of a launch on the structure. A load test tower was designed and fabricated at Coastal Steel for the test. Engineers and technicians from NASA Kennedy Space Center and Coastal will apply the loads by hanging weights off the ICPSU structure. Vertical loads will be applied by hanging the weights directly, and horizontal loads will be applied by a rope that wraps over an adjacent pipe on the load test tower. The ICPSU is one of the umbilical arms that will be attached to the mobile launcher. The umbilical will be located at the about the 240-foot-level of the mobile launcher and will supply fuel, oxidizer, pneumatics, hazard gas leak detection, electrical commodities and environmental control systems to the interim cryogenic propulsive stage of the SLS rocket during launch. Photo credit: Daniel Casper

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center crawler team is photographed in front of the agency’s mobile launcher at Launch Complex 39B in Florida on June 27, 2019. After departing from the Vehicle Assembly Building at midnight on June 27, the mobile launcher made its final solo trek to the pad, where it will remain for the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher is seen atop crawler-transporter 2 at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B in Florida on June 27, 2019. The mobile launcher departed from the Vehicle Assembly Building at midnight on June 27 for its last solo trek to the pad, where it will remain for the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Upgrades and modifications continue to the flame trench at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pad B is being refurbished to support the launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program at Kennedy is helping transform the space center into a multi-user spaceport and prepare for Exploration Mission-1, deep-space missions, and the journey to Mars. For more information about GSDO, visit: www.nasa.gov/groundsystems. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA image use policy.

After successfully arriving at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B, Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher continues its journey atop crawler-transporter 2 up to the pad surface on June 28, 2019. The mobile launcher began its final solo trek to the pad at midnight on June 27, departing from NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The mobile launcher will remain at the pad over the summer, undergoing final testing and checkouts. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion in preparation for the launch of Artemis 1. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA image use policy.

Boeing engineer Myron Fletcher chats about space with Raisbeck Aviation High School students.

\Myron works on the Space Launch System, which will proper humans into deep space on NASA's Journey to Mars.

WATCH Myron talk about what inspired him to become a rocket engineer - www.boeing.com/principles/education/students-families.pag...