posted 03-25-2017 11:06 PM               

First umbilical installed on mobile launcher for Space Launch System and Orion

The first launch umbilical for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft was installed on the mobile launcher tower March 16, 2017 at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion Service Module Umbilical, or OSMU, was installed high up on the tower at about the 260-foot level.

"Installation of the OSMU is a major milestone for the mobile launcher team," said Sam Talluto, deputy project manager. "This is the first of multiple umbilicals and launch accessories that will be installed."

The tower on the mobile launcher will be equipped with several connections, called launch umbilicals, which will connect to the SLS core stage and twin solid rocket boosters, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and the Orion spacecraft. They will provide power, communications, coolant and fuel.

The OSMU will connect from the mobile launcher tower to the Orion service module. Prior to launch, the umbilical will transfer liquid coolant for the electronics and purge air/ GN2 for environmental control to the Orion service module that houses these critical systems to support the spacecraft. The umbilical also will provide purge air/GN2 for environmental control to the Launch Abort System. Before launch, the OSMU will tilt up and the umbilical lines will disconnect.

posted 10-21-2017 05:34 PM               

The Orion crew access arm is ready to be transported from Precision Fabricating and Cleaning in Cocoa, Florida to a storage location near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Later this month, the arm will be moved to the mobile launcher (ML) tower at the center.

The crew access arm will be located at about the 274-foot level on the tower. It will rotate from its retracted position and interface with the Orion crew hatch location to provide entry to the Orion crew module.

NASA's Ground Systems Development and Operations Program is overseeing installation of umbilicals and launch accessories on the ML tower.

posted 02-28-2018 12:00 AM               

Orion walkway: NASA mounts astronaut access arm on Space Launch System tower

The walkway that astronauts will use to board NASA's next spacecraft bound for the moon has now been raised into place.

Workers on Monday (Feb. 26) used a large crane to hoist up and attach the Orion crew access arm on the Space Launch System mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new arm is similar in design to the previous walkways used with the Apollo Saturn V rockets and space shuttle orbiters.