Bechtel successfully lifted and placed the first tower module, Tower Module 4 (Mod 4), of the Mobile Launcher 2 (ML2) project, completing the Rig and Set process. This is the beginning of a new phase of rapid vertical installation of the remaining tower modules, which will be stacked successively on top of one another over the coming months. The tower modules will eventually increase the structure to its full height of nearly 38 stories. By using a modular approach to assembly, Bechtel and NASA are reducing risks to the project’s craft professional workers and professional staff workers by performing construction at a lower vertical elevation.
“This is a significant milestone for the Bechtel and NASA teams,” said Mike Costas, Bechtel’s General Manager of Defense and Space. “The project team hauled our first tower module six miles across Kennedy Space Center, lifted the 550,000-pound assembly over 150 feet and placed it safely on top of the tower chair. The Bechtel team is focused on delivering ML2 on schedule to ensure a safe launch of the Artemis IV crew and critical payload.”
In addition to stabilizing the rocket and spacecraft for transport to the launchpad, the tower modules will carry and connect the complex array of umbilicals and systems to provide power, data, communication, propellants, fluids, gases, sound suppression, and imagery to the rocket and Orion spacecraft before launch. The modules are outfitted with much of this infrastructure, with the remainder to be installed when the full tower is assembled.
Key highlights of the Mod 4 lift include:
- The Mod 4 lift was a two-day process involving roughly 50 members of the ML2 team.
- Weighing over 550,000 lbs., Mod 4 had to be lifted by a CC8800 Demag crane comprised of components delivered by over 110 trucks, taking over a month to assemble.
- Mod 4 was driven six miles by two self-propelled modular transporters from the Mod Yard to the ML2 Parksite, where crews rigged it to the heavy lift crane, raised the module over 150-feet, and secured the four corners to the tower chair.
Earlier this year, the NASA-Bechtel team completed the Jack and Set milestone, laying the foundation for the detailed buildout process, which the team has been driving to complete over the last seven months.
Mobile Launcher 2 will support NASA’s Artemis IV mission and beyond once the larger and more powerful Space Launch System (SLS) Block 1B rocket is used to begin delivering equipment to the Lunar Gateway. Reaching a height of 390 feet, Mobile Launcher 2 will be taller and wider than Mobile Launcher 1. This launch platform will implement a new umbilical arm for NASA’s Exploration Upper Stage, which will be used during rocket transport and launch.
Learn more about how Bechtel is building a better world and beyond at bechtel.com.
Background
- Mobile Launcher 2 is NASA’s largest active construction project.
- The Bechtel-led team has awarded more than $100 million in procurements in the local area, and over $425 million around the United States through partnerships in 33 states.
- The Bechtel Mobile Launcher 2 team manages work at five sites across Kennedy Space Center.
