Artemis Support Systems
Launch Facilities
The SLS, which will carry the Orion crew capsule for Artemis missions, will launch from Launch Complex 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Renovations at 39-B to prepare for Artemis are complete. Prior to the renovations for Artemis, the last use of pad 39-B was the Ares I-X test flight on 28 October 2009.
Launch pad 39B (NASA)
Crawler-Transporter
Two massive transporter-crawlers have served NASA for over 50 years, supporting both the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. Crawler-Transporter was integrated into the Artemis program.
Crawler-Transporter 2 (NASA) (click to enlarge)
Facts about the crawler (from NASA):
- Weight: Approximately 6.6 million pounds (or the weight of about 15 Statues of Liberty or 1,000 pickup trucks).
- Height: Varies from approximately 20 feet to 26 feet, based on the position of the jacking, equalization and leveling cylinders.
- Load Capacity: Able to transport 18 million pounds (or the weight of more than 20 fully loaded 777 airplanes).
Orion Recovery Operations
Orion is designed for water landings. Crews may be recovered either while the Orion is still in open water, or after Orion is within the well deck of an amphibious naval ship. The process is described in a pdf but out by NASA, Orion Recovery Operations.
Space Suits
Two different types of space suits are being prepared for the Artemis program. One suit is for use within the Orion spacecraft, and the xEMU is being readied for use on lunar excursions.
Left: Orion spacesuit Right: xEMU spacesuit (NASA)
On 10 August 2021, CBS News reported:
"The next-generation spacesuits needed by the first moonwalkers in NASA's Artemis program will not be available until 2025 at the earliest
and will have cost more than $1 billion to develop, the agency's Office of Inspector General reported Tuesday."
Cancelled Components of the Artemis Program
Mobile Launcher, Cancelled March 2026
The mobile launcher would have been the ground structure that would be used to assemble, process and launch NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft from Launch Pad 39B.
Mobile Launcher on the crawler(NASA)
__________________________________________________
Gateway Lunar Outpost, Cancelled March 2026
Gateway was a proposed outpost orbiting the moon to support long-term human presence for lunar missions and serve as a staging point for deep space exploration, such as missions to Mars or the asteroids.
Artists conception (Credit: NASA)
Key modules would have been:
Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) - a 60 kilowatt solar electric propulsion spacecraft providing communications, attitude control,
and orbital transfer capability.
Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) - A crew cabin for astronauts, providing basic life support, command control, data handling
systems, energy storage, power distribution, thermal control, and communications and tracking capabilities. It will have several
docking ports.
European System Providing Refueling, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (ESPRIT) - Provides additional communications equipment,
an airlock for science experiments, and storage for xenon and hydrazine.
International Habitation Module (I-HAB) - An additional habitation module.
Page last modified: 03 April 2026 10:43:45.
