NASA's Artemis space program aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by next year. The agency develops the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft to achieve this. To lift these vehicles off to space, they both need a mobile launcher, a huge tower-like structure that can support the rocket and provide access to the spacecraft.
The construction of the mobile launchers ML-1 and ML-2 has been recently completed. Although the towers are identical in design and capabilities, they will be used by NASA for different missions.
Journey Beyond the Moon with ML-1
Artemis II mission, a crewed flight beyond the Moon, will be launched by Mobile Launcher (ML) 1. Currently located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, the tower measures 380 feet high and weighs 10.5 million pounds.
It has a platform at the top that can support the vehicles and a crew access arm that offers a walkway for astronauts as they board the spacecraft. A range of support systems is also included in ML-1, including hydraulic, electrical, pneumatic, and environmental control systems.
ML-1 experienced significant damage after being used for the Artemis I mission on November 2022. It is undergoing repairs and enhancements while NASA prepares for reuse on a planned Artemis II flight. On August 16, the mobile launcher arrived at Launch Pad 39B, carried by the crawler-transporter 2, and will undergo testing while at the pad to ensure its readiness.
NASA plans to add important features for the four humans riding the Orion capsule atop the SLS rocket. Once the pad testing is complete, ML-1 will make its way into the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will undergo stacking operations of rocket parts.
Crewed Moon Landing with ML-2
The first crewed mission of the Artemis program will be carried out by Artemis III, which will be launched by Mobile Launcher 2. Unlike ML-2, which is already standing, this tower is just getting started.
ML-2 will be developed by Bechtel National Inc., NASA's prime contractor, constructing a sister mobile launcher. On August 16, the company bolted together the first pieces of the tower. The slightly taller structure will measure 390 feet high.
A second mobile launcher is needed for a version of SLS called Block 1B, which is 40 feet taller. The height was slightly increased to allow the rocket to eliminate the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) used in propelling the Orion space capsule to the moon.
The original contract to construct ML-2 was awarded to Bechtel in 2019, with a completed structure worth $383 million promised initially by spring 2023. Due to cost increases and delays in design piled on through 2022, NASA's Office of the Inspector General prompted to audit the program. It was revealed that the project's total cost would likely reach $960.1 million, almost 2 ½ times more than originally planned. The delivery of the launcher is officially delayed until October 2025.
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