A key piece of space hardware manufactured at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama is en route to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first manned mission of NASA’s Artemis program.
Marshall employees in Huntsville rolled out the Artemis II launch vehicle adapter (LVSA) and loaded it onto NASA’s Pegasus ship for transport to Kennedy.
The conical Launch vehicle stage adapter connects the rocket’s main stage to the upper stage and helps protect the upper stage engine that will power Artemis II’s test flight around the Moon, scheduled for 2025.
“The launch vehicle stage adapter is the largest SLS component for Artemis II that will be manufactured at the center,” said Chris Calfee, SLS Spacecraft Payload Integration and Evolution Element Manager. “Both adapters for the SLS rocket that will power the Artemis II and Artemis III missions will be manufactured entirely at NASA Marshall.”
“Alabama plays a key role in the return of astronauts to the moon.”
Crews moved the 27.5-foot-tall adapter from NASA Marshall Building 4708 onto the agency’s Pegasus ship last week. The ship will first transport the adapter to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where crews will pick up additional SLS hardware for future Artemis missions before continuing on to NASA Kennedy.
In Florida, the adapter will be connected to the recently delivered main stage. There, teams from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems are preparing the adapter for assembly and launch.
NASA Marshall engineering teams are in the final phase of integration work on the Launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis III.
The stage adapter will be manufactured by prime contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering and Jacobs Space Exploration Group under the Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation (ESSCA) contract using NASA Marshall’s self-reacting friction stir robots and vertical welding tools.
NASA’s SLS is the only rocket capable of carrying Orion, astronauts and supplies to the moon in a single launch. Pioneer Mission Artemis I took place in November 2022.
Alabama’s contribution
The SLS has deep roots in Alabama.
Marshall led the design and development of the rocket, and Boeing’s Alabama workforce also played a key role in the program. In total, 106 Alabama companies contributed to the SLS and Orion projects, according to NASA.
Marshall is home to the SLS Program Office, which is responsible for planning, design, development, testing, evaluation, production and operation of the integrated launch vehicle.
In addition, Marshall team members developed and tested the flight software internally and built key parts of the rocket in their production facilities.
In addition, Marshall conducted important structural tests of SLS’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks.
“Alabama’s space workers developed the groundbreaking Saturn V rocket more than half a century ago and are leading the way on the new SLS rocket that will take American astronauts back to the moon,” said Ellen McNair, Alabama Secretary of Commerce.
“These workers can be very proud of their contribution to the U.S. space program.”
Ready to make waves🌊
A key adapter for @NASAArtemis II is safe inside @NASA‘s Pegasus Barge and will soon make its way to @NASAKennedy.
Learn more about the role of the conical launch vehicle stage adapter during launch and what happens next>>https://t.co/WEZih8oUdS pic.twitter.com/Dgk1ISnOP2
— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) 22 August 2024
This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
Don’t miss it! Subscribe today to get Alabama’s top headlines delivered to your inbox.
