Naomi Cooper
Bechtel has begun the construction of the second mobile launcher platform for the Space Launch System at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The company said Wednesday it has bolted together the first steel components for the base structure of the Mobile Launcher 2, which will support the launch of the SLS Block 1B rocket and Orion spacecraft for moon and space exploration missions.
ML2 will rise more than 390 feet in height, withstand a launch environment greater than 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit and endure blast pressures of more than 130 pounds per square inch and thrust of over 8.9 million pounds.
In June 2019, NASA awarded Bechtel a $383 million contract to design, construct, test and commission the new launcher.
