Crawler-Transporter 2 Carries NASA’s Artemis II Moon Rocket to the Launch Pad

The Crawler-Transporter 2, cradling NASA’s Artemis II moon rocket, arrived on the launch pad a couple of week in the past, marking a quiet however historic step towards transporting astronauts past outer area for the primary time in additional than 50 years. That mission is scheduled to happen on January 17, 2026, on the well-known Kennedy Area Middle in Florida. At 7:04 a.m. jap time, the crawler started hauling the totally constructed Area Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and cell launcher from the Automobile Meeting Constructing to Launch Complicated 39B.

The crawler entered the VAB the night time earlier than the transfer and positioned itself underneath the cell launcher with laser-like precision. The hydraulic jacks then progressively raised the whole construction up, leveling it regardless of its unequal weight distribution. After the ultimate checks had been accomplished and all the wires had been in place, three of the crawler’s 4 large 10,000 HP diesel engines fired up. The world’s largest doorways, which rise vethan rtically in much less an hour, swung open, and the unhurried procession started.

The crawlerway, which was specifically designed and paved with rounded Alabama river rock to assist distribute the crushing stress, was 4 level two miles lengthy. Loaded down, the lot weighed 15 million kilos, together with the crawler, which weighed 6.65 million kilos, and the rocket and launcher. Every of the crawler’s 4 tracks comprises 57 monumental metallic footwear weighing roughly a ton every, which creep ahead at a most velocity of 1 mile per hour. In actuality, the tempo slowed much more throughout twists and the final climb with a view to maintain the 322-foot-tall rocket precisely vertical, inside a fraction of a level.

All the pieces proceeded in keeping with schedule, because the stack emerged from the excessive bay after greater than half an hour and crawled via some tight clearances. Outdoors, the crawler stopped for round half-hour to reposition the crew entry arm, which couldn’t be performed throughout the constructing. Then got here an S-turn, adopted by a pointy left about midway via, one other of the tight areas that the crawler dealt with with ease.

By lunchtime, the stack had traveled greater than half the gap. Fortuitously, there have been no main points, because the crawler merely took the burden in stride, with its 2016-upgraded engines, turbines, brakes, and monitoring system proving to be dependable underneath the additional weight of the Artemis rocket in comparison with the shuttle days. Lastly, at 6:42 p.m., the crawler reached the pad and punctiliously moved up the strengthened concrete ramp, reducing the stack onto its six mount factors. They completed leveling and secured {the electrical} connections, and the switch was full.

The moist gown rehearsal, which is able to contain loading the super-cold propellants and going via the countdown protocols, is scheduled for early February. With a profitable take a look at accomplished, all the pieces is so as; however, if there are any points, the stack might should be returned to the VAB. Nevertheless, the crawler’s mission stays unchanged: to ship the rocket safely, degree, and intact.