Bechtel starts construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2

Bechtel workers start construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2 (Image: Bechtel)

A team led by Bechtel has started construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2 project at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Bechtel has bolted together the first pieces of steel that will become the foundation of the new structure which will support NASA’s Artemis mission to send astronauts to the Moon and to Mars.

The new launcher – which will be designed, built, and tested by Bechtel – will grow to more than 390 feet (119 metres) in height.

It will also have to withstand a launch environment of greater than 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,204 degrees Celsius), blast pressures of more than 130 psi, and thrust of more than 8.9 million pounds.

Bechtel workers start construction of NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2 (Image: Bechtel)

In the months ahead, additional steel trusses and girders from Bechtel’s team of suppliers around the country will arrive at Kennedy Space Center, be prepared through a specialized blasting and coating process, and eventually assembled at the Parksite.

Bechtel project manager, Felice Presti said, “I am proud of our team for achieving this significant milestone in partnership with NASA.

“It is incredible to see the complex designs of my Bechtel colleagues come together in this new, innovative structure that will support the SLS rocket and NASA’s Artemis mission to further deep space exploration. I look forward to continuing safe progress on the mobile launcher as we work from bolting to liftoff.”

The SLS rocket is designed to evolve as necessary to carry the Orion spacecraft, four astronauts, and their support equipment to the Moon.