51-551: VAB may refer to: Vehicle Assembly Building , a large building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center where space vehicles are prepared for launch Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé , a French wheeled armored personnel carrier Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy , a minimally invasive procedure Visual Arts Board , historic board of the Australia Council See also [ edit ] Vabs (disambiguation) Topics referred to by
102-690: A 380-foot-tall (120 m) Launch Umbilical Tower ( LUT ) with nine swing arms that permitted servicing of the vehicle on the launch pad, and swung away from it at launch. The Mobile Launchers were built by Ingalls Iron Works . The swing arms were constructed by Hayes International . After the Apollo program , the bases of the Mobile Launchers were modified for the Space Shuttle . The Launch Umbilical Towers from ML-2 and ML-3 were removed. Portions of these tower structures were erected at
153-676: A Reimbursable Space Act Agreement in August 2019. Under the Agreement, Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2 would be used to assemble the rocket, while MLP-3 and crawler-transporter 1 would be used to move the rocket to LC-39B for launch. From 2019 to 2020, the OmegA launch tower was under construction on MLP-3. Following the cancellation of OmegA in September 2020, work began to demolish the half-completed launch tower. As of January 2021, MLP-3
204-666: A concrete ballast on the top to condition the crawlerway to handle the combined weight of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft in the future. NASA stated that re-conditioning of the crawlerway will be required periodically in the future, and MLP-1 will be retained for that purpose. MLP-1 will be stored in High Bay 1 of the Vehicle Assembly Building when not in use for crawlerway maintenance. Mobile Launcher Platform-2 (MLP-2) (formerly called
255-606: A contract for the design and construction of the Mobile Launcher-2 (ML-2) for SLS Block 1B. Construction of the ML-2 began in July 2020, with the planned completion in 2023. The total cost of the ML-2 was originally estimated to be $ 450 million, however cost overruns have seen this increase to a projected $ 1.8 to $ 2.7 billion, and a delay until 2027 or 2029 The Atlas V utilizes an MLP when launching from SLC-41 . The rocket
306-509: A foundation consisting of 30,000 cubic yards (23,000 m ) of concrete. Construction of the VAB required 98,590 short tons (197,180,000 lb; 89,440,000 kg) of steel. The building was completed in 1966. The VAB is 526 feet (160.3 m) tall, 716 feet (218.2 m) long and 518 feet (157.9 m) wide. It covers 8 acres (32,000 m ), and encloses 129,428,000 cubic feet (3,665,000 m ) of space. Located on Florida's Atlantic coast,
357-513: A later date. The ML-3 was used for five crewed Apollo launches; Apollo 10 , Apollo 13 , Apollo 15 , Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 . Following the launch of Apollo 17, the ML-3 was the first of the Mobile Launchers to be converted for use by the Space Shuttle. The Launch Umbilical Tower was dismantled and later partially reassembled on LC-39A as that pad's Fixed Service Structure (FSS) and
408-416: A maximum speed of about 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) loaded, and has a leveling system designed to keep the launch vehicle vertical while negotiating the 5 percent grade leading to the top of the launch pad. Two 2,750 horsepower (2.05 MW) diesel engines power each crawler. The MLPs were designed as part of NASA's strategy for vertical assembly and transport of space vehicles. Vertical assembly allows
459-558: A single solid-fueled first stage, while the SLS includes two large solid rocket boosters and a powerful core with four RS-25 engines. The base of the ML-1 is 25 feet (7.6 m) high, 158 feet (48 m) long, and 133 feet (41 m) wide. The ML-1 also features a 355-foot-tall (108 m) Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT) with several arms that permit servicing of the SLS on the launch pad, and swing away from it at launch. In June 2019, NASA awarded
510-623: A structure used to support a large multistage space vehicle which is assembled (stacked) vertically in an integration facility (e.g. the Vehicle Assembly Building ) and then transported by a crawler-transporter (CT) to a launch pad . This becomes the support structure for launch . The use of mobile launcher platform is a part of the Integrate-Transfer-Launch (ITL) system, which involves vertical assembly, transport, and launch of rockets. The concept
561-514: Is at Launch Complex 39 at KSC, 149 miles (240 km) south of Jacksonville , 219 miles (352 km) north of Miami , and 50 miles (80 km) due east of Orlando , on Merritt Island on the Atlantic coast of Florida . The VAB is the largest single-story building in the world, was the tallest building (526 ft or 160 m) in Florida until 1974, and is the tallest building in
SECTION 10
#1732772000591612-479: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Vehicle Assembly Building The Vehicle Assembly Building (originally the Vertical Assembly Building ), or VAB , is a large building at NASA 's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, designed to assemble large pre-manufactured space vehicle components, such as the massive Saturn V ,
663-552: Is in line with the intent to migrate KSC towards acting as a spaceport accessible to both government and commercial ventures. On April 21, 2016, NASA announced the selection of Orbital ATK (bought by Northrop Grumman as of 2019) to begin negotiations for High Bay 2. The "potential agreement" included an existing mobile launcher platform. NASA subsequently completed the agreement in August 2019 to lease High Bay 2 and Mobile Launcher Platform 3 to Northrop Grumman for use with their OmegA launch vehicle. However, development of OmegA
714-754: Is now known as the Artemis program and its vehicles, including the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft . NASA began modifying Launch Complex 39 at KSC to support the new SLS in 2014, beginning with major repairs, code upgrades and safety improvements to the Launch Control Center, Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) and the VAB Utility Annex. This initial work is required to support any launch vehicle operated from Launch Complex 39 and will allow NASA to begin modernizing
765-618: Is planned to be placed in storage in High Bay 2 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. Between 2009 and 2010, a mobile launcher platform called the Mobile Launcher-1 (ML-1) was constructed as part of the Constellation program . Since the cancellation of the program in 2010, ML-1 was converted for the Space Launch System Block 1, with various phases of construction between 2013 and 2018. The total cost of
816-587: Is stacked on its MLP in the 280-foot-tall (85.4 m) Vertical Integration Facility (VIF), and is then rolled-out over 600 yards (550 m) to the launch pad. The design of this MLP is derived from the MLPs used by the Titan III and IV rockets. Titan III and Titan IV rockets launched from SLC-40 and SLC-41 utilized MLPs to decouple assembly of the launch vehicle from launch. This was meant to enable simultaneous assembly of multiple launch vehicles as part of
867-437: The Space Shuttle and the Space Launch System , and stack them vertically onto one of three mobile launcher platforms used by NASA. As of March 2022, the first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was assembled inside in preparation for the Artemis I mission, launched on November 16, 2022. At 129,428,000 cu ft (3,665,000 m ), it is the eighth-largest building in the world by volume as of 2022. The building
918-654: The Space Shuttle retirement , NASA kept the MLP-2 for liquid-propellant rockets , but in January 2021, NASA announced that due to lack of storage space, the massive structure would be demolished. The first launch from the Mobile Launcher Platform-3 (MLP-3) (formerly called the Mobile Launcher-1 or ML-1) was the maiden flight of the Saturn V, and the first launch from LC-39, Apollo 4 . Following this, it
969-610: The SpaceX Starship . From 1967 to 2011, three platforms were used at the LC-39 to support NASA's launch vehicles. Formerly called Mobile Launchers ( ML ), the mobile launcher platforms were constructed for transporting and launching the Saturn V rocket for the Apollo program lunar landing missions of the 1960s and 1970s. Each ML originally had a single exhaust vent for the Saturn V's engines. The Mobile Launchers also featured
1020-614: The Yoshinobu Launch Complex . The PSLV , GSLV , and GSLV Mark III rockets utilize an MLP called the Mobile Launch Pedestal. The rockets are stacked on the Mobile Launch Pedestal in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB; not to be confused with the NASA building with the same name ), and are then rolled-out towards the launch pad. Once delivered to the pad, the mobile launcher platform is connected to
1071-669: The LC-39B Fixed Service Structure (FSS), and the base of the launch platform was modified to accommodate the locations of engines on the Shuttle. The platform was redesignated MLP-2. In total, MLP-2 was used for 44 Shuttle launches, starting in 1983. All of the orbiters except Columbia made their maiden flights from MLP-2. It was also the launch site for the ill-fated STS-51L mission, when Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after launch, killing all seven crew members. Following
SECTION 20
#17327720005911122-399: The ML-1 is estimated to be $ 1 billion. The biggest modification to the ML-1 was on the platform's base, where engineers increased the size of a 22 square feet (2.0 m ) exhaust duct to a rectangle stretching 60 by 30 feet (18.3 by 9.1 m) and strengthened the surrounding structure. SLS weighs more than twice as much as the planned Ares I rocket. The Ares I rocket would have featured
1173-661: The ML-1 using the Milkstool . Prior to the scrapping of the LUT in 2004, there was a campaign to rebuild and preserve it as a memorial to Project Apollo. The crew access arm is preserved at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on the upper level of the gift shop. Following the launch of Apollo-Soyuz, ML-1 was the last Mobile Launcher to be converted for use by the Space Shuttle. The LUT and Milkstool were dismantled and placed into storage, and
1224-438: The Mobile Launcher-2 or ML-2) was used for the uncrewed Apollo 6 mission, followed by three crewed Apollo launches; Apollo 9 , Apollo 12 and Apollo 14 . It was subsequently used for the launch of Skylab on a Saturn V in 1973. Following the launch of Skylab, ML-2 was the second of the Mobile Launchers to be converted for use by the Space Shuttle. The Launch Umbilical Tower was dismantled and partially reassembled to become
1275-422: The Space Shuttle orbiters to their external fuel tanks and solid rocket boosters . Once the complete space vehicle was assembled on a mobile launcher platform , a crawler-transporter moved it to Launch Complex-39A or 39B . Before the destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, NASA installed a sub-roof inside the VAB to deal with falling concrete debris due to the building's age. The VAB
1326-750: The Space Shuttle was intended to be retired in 2010, the VAB would have been renovated for stacking of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles for the Constellation program , however the Constellation program was cancelled in 2010. The Space Shuttle itself was retired in 2011 after which NASA temporarily (as early as 2012) offered public tours of the VAB. These tours were temporarily discontinued in February 2014 to allow for renovations to take place. The NASA FY2013 budget included US$ 143.7 million for Construction of Facilities (CoF) requirements in support of what
1377-630: The Titan's Integrate-Transfer-Launch (ITL) concept, allowing a high flight rate from a small number of launch pads. United Launch Alliance 's Vulcan will use an MLP similar in design to the one used by the Atlas V when launching from SLC-41, altered to support the former's larger design. The VLP (Vulcan Launch Platform) stands 183 ft (56 m) tall, and when complete will weigh 1.3 million pounds (590 tonnes). It will be equipped with various electronics, power-lines, and cables to support and control
1428-470: The United States outside an urban area. The VAB, completed in 1966, was originally built for the vertical assembly of the Apollo – Saturn V space vehicle and was originally referred to as the Vertical Assembly Building . In anticipation of post-Apollo projects such as the Space Shuttle program, it was renamed the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 3, 1965. It was subsequently used to mate
1479-533: The addition of two Tail Service Masts (TSM), one on either side of the main engine exhaust vent. These 9.4 m (31 ft) masts contained the feed lines through which liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ) and liquid oxygen (LOX) were loaded into the shuttle's external fuel tank, as well as electrical hookups and flares that were used to burn off any ambient hydrogen vapors at the launch site immediately prior to Main Engine start. The main engines vented their exhaust through
1530-556: The base of the launch platform was modified to accommodate the locations of engines on the Shuttle. The platform was redesignated MLP-1. In total, the MLP-1 was used for 52 Shuttle launches between 1981 and 2009. It was used for the first Space Shuttle launch, STS-1 , in April 1981. Following the launch of STS-119 in March 2009, it was transferred to the Constellation program . The platform
1581-623: The base of the launch platform was modified to accommodate the locations of engines on the shuttle. The platform was redesignated MLP-3. In total, MLP-3 was used for 29 Shuttle launches, starting in 1990. It was the least used of the three MLPs. Following the Space Shuttle retirement , NASA kept the MLP-3 for solid-propellant rockets . Usage of MLP-3 to launch the OmegA rocket was granted to Orbital ATK (later bought out by Northrop Grumman ) following discussions in 2016, and later formalized through
VAB - Misplaced Pages Continue
1632-444: The building was constructed to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms . Despite this, it has received damage from several hurricanes (see below ). There are four entries to the bays located inside the building, which are the four largest doors in the world. Each door is 456 feet (139.0 m) high, has seven vertical panels and four horizontal panels, and takes 45 minutes to completely open or close. The north entry that leads to
1683-408: The building was the largest in the world when added in 1976 as part of United States Bicentennial celebrations, along with the star logo of the anniversary, later replaced by the NASA insignia in 1998. It is 209 feet (63.7 m) high and 110 feet (33.5 m) wide. Each of the stars on the flag is 6 feet (1.83 m) across, the blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court, and each of
1734-531: The facilities, while vehicle-specific requirements are being developed. The VAB could be used to some extent for assembly and processing of any future vehicles using Launch Complex 39, in addition to renovations for SLS capabilities. On June 16, 2015, NASA released an announcement for proposals (AFP) seeking interest in using the VAB High Bay 2 and other complex facilities for commercial use in "assembling, integration, and testing of launch vehicles". This move
1785-507: The larger sound suppression system by large pipes which deliver a deluge of water from an adjacent water tower. Six 12-foot-high (3.7 m) towers known as "rainbirds" spray water over the MLP and into the flame deflector trenches below it, absorbing acoustic waves. The suppression system reduced the acoustic sound level to approximately 142 dB . [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of
1836-504: The original opening used for the Saturn rocket exhaust. Two additional exhaust ports were added to vent exhaust from the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) that flanked the external fuel tank. The Space Shuttle assembly was held to the MLP at eight holddown points using large studs , four on the aft skirt of each Solid Rocket Booster. Immediately before SRB ignition, frangible nuts attached to
1887-763: The preparation of the spacecraft in a ready-for-launch position, and avoids the additional step of lifting or craning a horizontally-assembled vehicle onto the launchpad (as the engineers of the Soviet space program chose to do). Construction of the Mobile Launcher Platform-1 (MLP-1) (formerly called the Mobile Launcher-3 or ML-3) began in 1964 and was completed with the installation of the Launch Umbilical Tower hammerhead crane on 1 March 1965. The swing arms were added at
1938-535: The rocket. For the initial Vulcan-Centaur configuration, the MLP will supply liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen to the first stage, and liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Centaur upper stage. As of October 24, 2019, the basic structure has been completed, but the umbilicals and equipment have yet to be installed. As of 2024, there are two VLP’s allowing for parallel processing. Japanese H-IIA and H-IIB rockets utilize an MLP when launching from
1989-466: The roof supported by four large air handlers (four cylindrical structures west of the building) rated at a total 10,000 tons of refrigeration (120,000,000 BTU / hr , 35 MW) to keep moisture under control. Air in the building can be completely replaced every hour. The large doors can allow fog to roll into the building and become trapped, leading to incorrect rumors that the building has its own weather and can form clouds. The American flag painted on
2040-403: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title VAB . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=VAB&oldid=1067816295 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2091-509: The storm season of 2004, when Hurricane Frances blew off 850 14-by-6-foot (4.3 m × 1.8 m) aluminum panels from the building, resulting in about 40,000 square feet (3,700 m ) of new openings in the sides. Twenty-five additional panels were blown off the east side by the winds from Hurricane Jeanne just three weeks later. Earlier in the season, Hurricane Charley caused significant but less serious damage, estimated to cost $ 700,000 to repair. Damage caused by these hurricanes
VAB - Misplaced Pages Continue
2142-418: The stripes is 9 feet (2.74 m) wide. Work began in early 2007 to restore the exterior paint on the immense facility. Special attention was paid to the enormous American flag and NASA "meatball" insignia. The work repaired visible damage from years of storms and weathering. The flag and logo had been previously repainted in 1998 for NASA's 40th anniversary. The most extensive exterior damage occurred during
2193-537: The top of these studs were detonated, releasing the Shuttle assembly from the platform. Each MLP weighed 8.23 million pounds (3,730 tonnes) unloaded and roughly 11 million pounds (5,000 tonnes) with an unfueled Shuttle aboard, measured 160 by 135 feet (49 by 41 m), and was 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They were carried by one of two crawler-transporters (CT), which measure 131 by 114 feet (40 by 35 m), and 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Each crawler weighs about 6 million pounds (2,700 tonnes) unloaded, has
2244-432: The transfer aisle was widened by 40 feet (12.2 m) to allow entry of the shuttle orbiter. A central slot at the north entry allowed for passage of the orbiter's vertical stabilizer. To lift the components of the Space Shuttle, the VAB housed five overhead bridge cranes , including two capable of lifting 325 tons, and 136 other lifting devices. The building has air conditioning equipment, including 125 ventilators on
2295-553: The two launch pads, 39A and 39B. These permanent structures were known as the Fixed Service Structures (FSS). The LUT from ML-1 was taken apart and stored in the Kennedy Space Center's industrial area. Efforts to preserve the LUT in the 1990s failed due to a lack of funding, and it was scrapped. In addition to removal of the umbilical towers, each Shuttle-era MLP was extensively reconfigured with
2346-556: Was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2020. In 1963, NASA contracted Urbahn Architects to design and build the VAB. Construction began with driving the first steel foundation piles on Aug. 2, 1963. It was part of NASA's massive effort to send astronauts to the Moon for the Apollo program . Altogether, 4,225 pilings were driven down 164 feet to bedrock with
2397-617: Was first implemented in the 1960s for the United States Air Force 's Titan III rocket, and it was later used by NASA for Saturn V , Space Shuttle , and Space Launch System . There are alternatives to ITL. Horizontal assembly and transport to the pad is used by Russia, by ULA for the Delta IV family, and by SpaceX for the Falcon 9 family. Vertical assembly on the launch pad is used for smaller launch vehicles and for
2448-496: Was still visible in 2007. Some of these panels are "punch-outs", designed to detach from the VAB when a large pressure differential is created on the outside vs. the inside. This allows for equalization, and helps protect the structural integrity of the building during rapid changes in pressure such as in tropical cyclones. The building has been used as a backdrop in several Hollywood movies including Marooned , SpaceCamp , Apollo 13 , Contact , and others. Originally, after
2499-400: Was subsequently cancelled in September 2020. Northrop Grumman had yet to make any modifications to High Bay 2, and were using it for the storage of OmegA hardware. This hardware was scheduled to be removed from the VAB and returned to Northrop Grumman by the end of September 2020. Mobile launcher platform A mobile launcher platform ( MLP ), also known as mobile launch platform , is
2550-616: Was used for two crewed Apollo launches: Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 . After NASA decided to move Saturn IB launches from LC-34 to LC-39B, the ML-1 was modified by the addition of a structure known as the Milkstool , which allowed the Saturn IB to use the same Launch Umbilical Tower as the much larger Saturn V. Three crewed flights to Skylab , and the Apollo launch for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project , were conducted from
2601-556: Was used only for the Ares I-X and the MLP-1 suffered substantial damage. The canceled Ares I-Y would have used the same MLP. However, the Constellation program was canceled and the MLP was left unused. Following the STS-135 , usable parts from the MLP-1 were removed and stored in the Vehicle Assembly Building, with no plans to use the MLP again. In 2021, NASA began rolling out Mobile Launch Platform-1 on Crawler transporter-2 with
SECTION 50
#1732772000591#590409