Vehicle Assembly Building

Short description: Spacecraft assembly building operated by NASA at the Kennedy Space Center

Vehicle Assembly Building

The Artemis I Space Launch System vehicle rolling out from the VAB at Kennedy Space Center

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Former names| Vertical Assembly Building
General information
Type| Integration facility
Town or city| Brevard County, Florida
Country| United States
Coordinates|  [ ⚑ ] : 28°35′11″N 80°39′5″W﻿ / ﻿28.58639°N 80.65139°W﻿ / 28.58639; -80.65139
Completed| 1966
Owner| NASA
Height| 526 ft (160 m)
Dimensions
Diameter| 716 ft × 518 ft (218 m × 158 m)
Technical details
Floor count| 1
Floor area| 8 acres (32,000 m2)
Design and construction
Main contractor| Morrison-Knudsen

Vehicle Assembly Building

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Location| Kennedy Space Center Florida, U.S.
Nearest city| Titusville
Area| 8 acres (3 ha)
Built| 1966
Architect| https://www.urbahn.com
Architectural style| Industrial
MPS| John F. Kennedy Space Center MPS
NRHP reference #| 99001642[1]
Added to NRHP| January 21, 2000

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, 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,[2] launched on November 16, 2022.

At 129,428,000 cu ft (3,665,000 m3), it is the eighth-largest building in the world by volume as of 2022.[3] The building 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.[3]

The VAB is the largest single-story building in the world,[4] was the tallest building (526 ft or 160 m) in Florida until 1974,[5] and is the tallest building in the United States outside an urban area.[6]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Construction
* 3 Capabilities
* 4 Exterior
* 5 Future
* 6 Gallery
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

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.[7][8] It was subsequently used to mate 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.

The building was designed with future expansion in mind but ultimately ended up being larger than NASA would ever need. Initially, during the planning of Kennedy Space Center, as many as five launch pads were proposed, and designs for a six-bay VAB were drawn up. However, as the plans were scaled back to just two launch pads, the VAB was reduced to four bays.[9] The contractors built the VAB to accommodate potential expansion to six bays, but such expansion was never required. In fact, only three bays were ever connected to the crawlerway. Bay 2, located on the west side of the building (farther from the launch pads), saw limited use during the Saturn V era and was eventually converted into a storage area for the Shuttle program.

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.[10]

The VAB was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2020.[11]

## Construction

VAB during construction (1965) with the three mobile launchers for the Saturn V rocket.

In 1963, NASA contracted Urbahn Architects to design and build the VAB as part of NASA's effort to send astronauts to the Moon for the Apollo program. Construction began with driving the first steel foundation piles on Aug. 2, 1963. Altogether, 4,225 pilings were driven down 164 feet (50 m) to bedrock with a foundation consisting of 30,000 cubic yards (23,000 m3) of concrete. Construction of the VAB required 98,590 short tons (197,180,000 lb; 89,440,000 kg) of steel.[12] The building was completed in 1966.[13] 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 m2), and encloses 129,428,000 cubic feet (3,665,000 m3) of space.[14] Located on Florida's Atlantic coast, the building was constructed to withstand hurricanes and tropical storms. Despite this, it has received damage from several hurricanes (see below).

## Capabilities

A crane lowers Discovery toward the ET and SRBs in high bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building for STS-124.

The north end of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) contains four “high bays” designed as enclosed, protected spaces for stacking rocket stages, payloads, and other components vertically on a mobile launcher platform. This configuration mirrors how the rocket will stand on the launch pad. Components and stages typically enter the VAB through the south side, which houses eight "low bays" used for storage and pre-assembly preparations. Platforms in both the high and low bays can be adjusted to provide crews safe access to all parts of the rocket. A 92-foot-wide (28 m) transfer aisle runs the length of the building.[15]

The VAB is equipped with five overhead cranes, including two capable of lifting up to 325 tons, as well as 136 additional lifting devices. These systems enable precise handling and assembly of heavy components. Once the launch vehicle is fully assembled and tested, a crawler-transporter enters the VAB, lifts the mobile launch platform with the attached spacecraft, and transports it to the launch pad.

File:Space Port 1970 NASA.webm Each high bay features a massive door—the largest in the world—standing 456 feet (139 m) tall. Each door comprises seven vertical panels and four horizontal panels and takes about 45 minutes to open or close.[13]

To manage internal conditions, the VAB is equipped with air conditioning, including 125 ventilators on the roof and four large air handlers located west of the building. The system provides a combined 10,000 tons of refrigeration (120,000,000 BTU/hr, 35 MW), not to cool the building, but to control moisture. The air inside the building can be completely replaced every hour.[3] When the building's large doors are opened, fog can enter and linger, leading to incorrect but persistent rumors that the VAB generates its own weather or forms clouds.[16]

## Exterior

VAB in 1977, with the Bicentennial Star opposite the flag. The Bicentennial Star was painted over with the NASA insignia in 1998. Note the Space Shuttle Landing Facility at upper left.

The American flag painted on 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 the stripes is 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.[17] 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.[18]

Repair work after Hurricane Frances

The most extensive exterior damage occurred during 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 m2) of new openings in the sides.[18][19] 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 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.

## Future

Discovery in the Vehicle Assembly Building waiting for a ferry flight to Dulles, Virginia, for permanent display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

Originally, after 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.[20]

The NASA FY2013 budget included US$143.7 million for Construction of Facilities (CoF) requirements in support of what 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 the facilities, while vehicle-specific requirements are being developed.[15]

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 is in line with the intent to migrate KSC towards acting as a spaceport accessible to both government and commercial ventures.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23] However, development of OmegA 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.[24]

## Gallery

* Aerial view of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in 2011

* The VAB in 2019

* Overview of the VAB and LCC industrial area

* Endeavour on its way into the VAB during the launch preparations for STS-89. At the top of the doorway is the slot for the vertical stabilizer.

* The VAB as viewed from the nearby parking lot, 19 January 2022

* Space Launch System Artemis 1 rollout out of the VAB, 17 March 2022

* VAB Beside the SLS Block 1 Artemis 1 during the Launch, 16 November 2022

## References

Template:Kennedy Space Center map

1. ↑ "National Register Information System – (#99001642)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/99001642.
2. ↑ Barker, Nathan; Gebhardt, Chris (March 17, 2022). "NASA moon rocket SLS rolls out to "rebuilt" LC-39B ahead of Artemis 1 rehearsal". NASASpaceFlight.com. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/03/sls-rollout-wet-dress-rehearsal/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 NASA (1999). "Vehicle Assembly Building". NASA. http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/vab.html.
4. ↑ "Groundbreaking Digital Experience for Endeavour Shuttle Launch" (Press release). Redmond, Washington: Microsoft. August 5, 2007. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
5. ↑ Taylor, George Lansing (September 20, 1988). "NASA Vehicle Assembly Building, Cape Canaveral, FL". George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery (University of North Florida). https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/2374/. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
6. ↑ Aguiar, Laura (January 10, 2020). "The Many Stories of the VAB". Spaceport Magazine (NASA) 7 (1). https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/spmjanfeb2020.pdf. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
7. ↑ Benson, Charles Dunlap; Faherty, William Barnaby (1978). "VAB Nears Completion". Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations. NASA. SP-4204. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-4204/ch12-7.html. Retrieved September 25, 2014. "The new name, it was felt, would more readily encompass future as well as current programs and would not be tied to the Saturn booster."
8. ↑ "America's Spaceport". NASA. 2010. p. 13. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/438859main_amspaceport10.pdf.
9. ↑ Benson, Charles D.; Faherty, William Barnaby (1978). Moonport. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. pp. 123–126, 163. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/moonport.pdf.
10. ↑ Gehman, Harold W.; Barry, John L.; Deal, Duane W.; Hallock, James N.; Hess, Kenneth W.; Hubbard, G. Scott; Logsdon, John M.; Osheroff, Douglas D. et al. (August 2003). Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Report Vol. 1. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-16-067904-9. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030066167/downloads/20030066167.pdf#page=114.
11. ↑ "Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC Designated as National Civil Engineering Landmark". Florida Today. January 10, 2020. https://www.floridatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2020/01/10/vab-named-national-historic-civil-engineering-landmark/4436911002/.
12. ↑ Granath, Bob (July 18, 2013). "Vehicle Assembly Building Prepared for Another 50 Years of Service" (Press release). Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Vehicle Assembly Building". 2012. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/718659main_vab.pdf.
14. ↑ Marquardt, Sarah (August 14, 2017). "An Exclusive Look Inside The Secretive Building Where NASA Makes Rockets". https://futurism.com/an-exclusive-look-inside-the-secretive-building-where-nasa-makes-rockets.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "NASA FY13 Budget". http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/632670main_NASA_FY13_Budget_CECR-508.pdf.
16. ↑ Cardona, Carolina (July 3, 2019). "Inside the VAB at Kennedy Space Center". WKMG. https://www.clickorlando.com/moon-landing/2019/07/03/inside-the-vab-at-kennedy-space-center/.
17. ↑ Stuckey, Jeff (May 27, 2005). "Vehicle Assembly Building's American flag flies again". Spaceport News (NASA) 44 (12). https://www3.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/pdf/116563main_may27color.pdf.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Mansfield, Cheryl L. (11 January 2007). "Restoring Old Glory and a Massive Meatball". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/vab_flag.html.
19. ↑ O'Brien, Miles (September 6, 2004). "Frances tears panels from NASA shuttle hangar". CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/09/06/nasa.frances.cnn/index.html.
20. ↑ Pearlman, Robert Z. (January 22, 2014). "Rocket Renovations Will End Public Tours of NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building". Space.com. https://www.space.com/24372-nasa-vehicle-assembly-building-tours-end.html.
21. ↑ Schierholz, Stephanie; Chevalier, Mary Ann, eds. (June 15, 2015). "NASA Solicits Proposals for Use of Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building High Bay 2" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024.
22. ↑ Chevalier, Mary Ann, ed. (April 21, 2016). "NASA Selects Orbital ATK to Begin Negotiations for Space in Iconic Vehicle Assembly Building" (Press release). NASA. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
23. ↑ Pearlman, Robert Z. (August 16, 2019). "Apollo to OmegA: NASA signs over legacy launcher for new rocket". collectspace.com. http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-081619a-northrop-grumman-omega-mlp-vab.html.
24. ↑ Bergin, Chris (September 11, 2020). "OmegA Launch Tower to be demolished as KSC 39B fails to become a multi-user pad". NASASpaceFlight.com. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/09/omega-mlp-ksc-39b-multi-user-pad/.

## External links

* Vehicle Assembly Building at Structurae
* Vehicle Assembly Building, High Bay and Low Bay at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
* 3D model of the building for use in Google Earth

Records

Preceded by
Miami-Dade County Courthouse |  Tallest Building in Florida
1965–1974
520 feet (160 m) | Succeeded by
Independent Life Building

* v
* t
* e

Kennedy Space Center

Facilities|

| Industrial Area|

* Hypergolic Maintenance and Checkout Area
* Multi-Payload Processing Facility
* Operations and Checkout Building
* Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility
* Space Station Processing Facility
* Vertical Processing Facility

|

Launch Complex 39|

* Crawler-transporter
* Crawlerway
* Launch Control Center
* Mobile launcher platform
* Orbiter Processing Facility
* Press Site
* Rotation, Processing and Surge Facility
* Shuttle Landing Facility
* Vehicle Assembly Building

Launch Sites|

* LC-39A
* LC-39B
* LC-39C
* LC-48

* v
* t
* e

NASA

Policy and history|

| History|

* NACA (1915)
* National Aeronautics and Space Act (1958)
* Space Task Group (1958)
* Paine (1986)
* Rogers (1986)
* Ride (1987)
* Space Exploration Initiative (1989)
* Augustine (1990)
* U.S. National Space Policy (1996)
* CFUSAI (2002)
* CAIB (2003)
* Vision for Space Exploration (2004)
* Aldridge (2004)
* Augustine (2009)

|

General|

* Space Race
* Administrator and Deputy Administrator
* Chief Scientist
* Astronaut Corps
* Ranks and positions
* Chief
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* NASA TV
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* Launch Services Program
* Mercury Control Center
* Kennedy Space Center
* Vehicle Assembly Building
* Launch Complex 39
* Launch Control Center
* Operations and Checkout Building
* Johnson Space Center
* Mission Control
* Lunar Sample Laboratory

Robotic programs|

| Past|

* Hitchhiker
* Mariner
* Mariner Mark II
* MESUR
* Mars Surveyor '98
* New Millennium
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|

Current|

* Living With a Star
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Human spaceflight
programs|

| Past|

* X-15 (suborbital)
* Mercury
* Gemini
* Apollo
* Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (with the Soviet space program)
* Skylab
* Space Shuttle
* Shuttle–Mir (with Roscosmos State Corporation)
* Constellation

|

Current|

* International Space Station
* Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
* Commercial Crew Development
* Orion
* Artemis
* Lunar Gateway

Individual featured
missions
(human and robotic)|

| Past|

* COBE
* Mercury 3
* Mercury-Atlas 6
* Magellan
* Pioneer 10
* Pioneer 11
* Galileo
* GALEX
* GRAIL
* WMAP
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* Sojourner rover
* Spirit rover
* LADEE
* MESSENGER
* Aquarius
* Cassini
* Dawn
* Kepler space telescope
* Opportunity rover
* RHESSI
* observed

|

Currently
operating|

* Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
* 2001 Mars Odyssey
* New Horizons
* International Space Station
* Hubble Space Telescope
* Spitzer
* Swift
* THEMIS
* Mars Exploration Rover
* Curiosity rover
* timeline
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* GOES 14
* Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
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* Van Allen Probes
* Solar Dynamics Observatory
* Juno
* Mars Science Laboratory
* timeline
* NuSTAR
* Voyager 1
* Voyager 2
* WISE
* MAVEN
* MMS
* OSIRIS-REx
* Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite

Future|

* Joint Polar Satellite System
* James Webb Space Telescope
* Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope
* Mars 2020
* NISAR
* Europa Clipper

Communications
and navigation|

* Near Earth Network
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* Madrid
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* Space Flight Operations Facility)
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NASA lists|

* Astronauts
* by name
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NASA images
and artwork|

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* Mission patches

Related|

* Apollo 15 postal covers incident
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* Apollo 17 Moon mice
* Other primates in space
* NASA spinoff technologies

* Category

* v
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NASA facilities

NASA Headquarters

Primary 10 centers|

| Space flight|

* Goddard Space Flight Center
* Jet Propulsion Laboratory
* Johnson Space Center
* Mission Control
* Lunar Sample Laboratory
* Kennedy Space Center
* Vehicle Assembly Building
* Launch Complex 39
* Launch Control Center
* Central Instrumentation Facility
* Shuttle Landing Facility
* Operations and Checkout Building
* Marshall Space Flight Center
* Stennis Space Center

|

Research|

* Ames Research Center
* Armstrong Flight Research Center
* Glenn Research Center
* Langley Research Center
* Space Task Group

Other facilities|

* Carnarvon Tracking Station
* Deep Space Network
* Goldstone
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Related|

* Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

* v
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* e

Apollo program

* List of missions
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Facilities|

* Mission Control Center
* Cape Canaveral
* LC-34
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* LC-39

Launch vehicles|

* Little Joe II
* Saturn
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* Saturn V

Spacecraft|

* Apollo spacecraft
* Command and Service Module
* Lunar Module
* Lunar Roving Vehicle

Flights|

| Uncrewed|

* AS-101
* AS-102
* AS-201
* AS-202
* Apollo 4
* Apollo 5
* Apollo 6†

|

Crewed|

* Apollo 1 (AS-204)†
* Apollo 7
* Apollo 8
* Apollo 9
* Apollo 10
* Apollo 11
* Apollo 12
* Apollo 13†
* Apollo 14
* Apollo 15
* Apollo 16
* Apollo 17

Saturn
development|

* SA-1
* SA-2
* SA-3
* SA-4
* SA-5
* AS-203
* Apollo 4
* Apollo 6†

Abort tests|

* QTV
* Pad Abort Test-1
* A-001
* A-002
* A-003
* Pad Abort Test-2
* A-004

Pegasus flights|

* AS-103
* AS-104
* AS-105

* Symbol † indicates failure or partial failure

* v
* t
* e

Space Shuttle program

* Space Shuttle
* List of missions
* List of crews

Components|

* Space Shuttle orbiter
* Solid Rocket Booster
* External Tank
* Main Engine
* Orbital Maneuvering System
* Reaction control system
* Thermal protection system
* Booster separation motor

Orbiters|

* Enterprise
* Columbia
* Challenger
* Discovery
* Atlantis
* Endeavour

Add-ons|

* Spacelab (ESA)
* Canadarm (CSA)
* Extended Duration Orbiter
* Remote Controlled Orbiter
* Spacehab
* Multi-Purpose Logistics Module

Sites|

* Kennedy Space Center LC-39
* Vandenberg SLC-6
* Landing sites
* Shuttle Landing Facility
* Abort Landing Sites

Operations
and training|

* Missions (canceled)
* Crews
* Mission timeline
* Rollbacks
* Countdown
* Abort modes
* Rendezvous pitch maneuver
* Shuttle Mission Simulator
* Shuttle Training Aircraft

Testing|

* Inspiration (design)
* Pathfinder (simulator)
* MPTA (engine mounts)
* MPTA-ET (external tank)
* Approach and Landing Tests

Disasters|

* Challenger disaster (report)
* Columbia disaster (report)

Support|

* Crawler-transporter
* Mate-Demate Device
* Mobile Launcher Platform
* NASA recovery ship
* Orbiter Processing Facility
* Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL)
* Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
* flights
* Shuttle Training Aircraft
* STS-3xx

Special|

* Deutschland-1
* Getaway Special
* Teacher in Space Project
* Shuttle-Mir
* Hitchhiker

Space suits|

* Extravehicular Mobility Unit
* Shuttle Ejection Escape Suit
* Launch Entry Suit
* Advanced Crew Escape Suit

Experiments|

* Freestar experiments
* Inflatable Antenna Experiment
* Spartan Packet Radio Experiment
* Shuttle pallet satellite
* Wake Shield Facility

Derivatives|

* Saturn-Shuttle (canceled)
* Shuttle-Derived Launch Vehicle
* Shuttle-Derived Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle
* Jupiter
* Shuttle-C
* Ares
* Space Launch System

Replicas|

* Independence

Related|

* Space Shuttle design process
* Inertial Upper Stage
* Payload Assist Module
* International Space Station
* Criticism
* Retirement
* Conroy Virtus
* The Dream Is Alive (1985 documentary)
* Space Shuttle America
* Rendezvous
* Space Shuttle Project
* Shuttle
* Space Shuttle
* Space Shuttle Mission 2007
* Orbiter simulator

* v
* t
* e

Artemis program

* List of missions
* Commercial Lunar Payload Services
* Exploration Ground Systems

Facilities|

* Cape Canaveral
* SLC-37B
* SLC-40
* SLC-41
* SLC-46
* Kennedy Space Center
* LC-39A
* LC-39B
* Mission Control Center
* Vandenberg
* SLC-3E
* SLC-4E
* White Sands

Launch vehicles|

* Atlas V
* Delta IV Heavy
* Falcon 9
* Block 5
* Heavy
* New Glenn
* Space Launch System
* Block 1
* Block 1B

Spacecraft|

* CAPSTONE
* HERACLES
* Human Landing System
* Lunar Gateway
* Nova-C
* Orion
* Peregrine

Planned flights|

| Uncrewed|

* Artemis 1 (2020)
* Peregrine Mission One (June 2021)
* Nova-C (July 2021)
* VIPER (2022)
* Artemis 8 (2028)

|

Crewed|

* Artemis 2 (2022)
* Artemis 3 (2024)
* Artemis 4 (2025)
* Artemis 5 (2026)
* Artemis 6 (2027)
* Artemis 7 (2028)

* Future missions indicated in italics.

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