Tag: ML-2
-

East Coast sees major progress for future operations at the Cape
Amid recent Falcon 9 and Vulcan launches, a considerable amount of important construction work in the Cape Canaveral area has made major progress in the last few weeks. The structures under construction at the Cape will feature prominently in future spaceflight operations. NSF conducted a flyover this week near the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and…
-

Final ML-2 tower module added as Artemis and SLS Block 1B receive a funding reprieve
Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch tower and platform to be used by the Block 1B variant of the Space Launch System (SLS), recently had its tenth and final tower module stacked on July 2. Module 10 will support the Orion crew access arm and related systems, and its installation brings the ML-2 tower’s height…
-

Northrop Grumman tests SLS Block 2 BOLE booster in Utah; nozzle issue seen
Northrop Grumman conducted the first test firing of its Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) five-segment solid rocket motor at its Promontory production and test site in Utah. The Development Motor 1 (DM-1) fired Thursday, June 26, at 12:25 PM MDT (18:25 UTC) and lasted for close to two minutes and 20 seconds, burning over…
-

Umbilical hardware arrives for SLS ML-2, runs out of funding
The construction of NASA’s second Space Launch System Mobile Launcher (ML-2) has been delayed after NASA ran out of near-term funding. ML-2 is required due to the increase in height for the Block 1B version of the rocket, making it incompatible with the billion-dollar ML-1. However, some planned work will continue, such as testing umbilicals…