Mobile Launcher Progresses to First Flight of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration System

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	August 30, 2018  MEDIA ADVISORY 014-18 Mobile Launcher Progresses to First Flight of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration System A swing test of the Orion crew access arm, top right, begins on the mobile launcher at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on Aug. 21, 2018. The crew access arm is located at about the 274-foot level on the mobile launcher tower. It will rotate from its retracted position and interface with the Orion crew hatch location to provide entry to the Orion crew module. Exploration Ground Systems extended all of the launch umbilicals on the ML tower to test their functionality before the mobile launcher, atop crawler-transporter 2, is moved to Launch Pad 39B and the Vehicle Assembly Building. Credits: Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston NASA is inviting media to its Kennedy Space Center in Florida from 6 a.m. to noon EDT Saturday, Sept. 8, to witness the agency’s progress toward the first integrated test of its new deep space exploration systems – the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System rocket and ground systems. On Sept. 8, the mobile launcher, which has been undergoing upgrades to launch Orion atop SLS, will move on the crawler-transporter from Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for a series of validation and verification tests. Media will have access inside and outside the VAB, and subject matter experts will be on hand for one-on-one interviews. U.S. media interested in attending this event must apply by 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, and pick up their credentials no later than 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7. To submit an accreditation request, visit: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov/ For questions about accreditation, contact Kennedy’s newsroom at 321-867-2468. The first integrated test of the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket and Kennedy ground systems – an uncrewed flight – will be the first in a series of flight tests that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. As the agency nears a new era in spaceflight, Kennedy’s Exploration Ground Systems is transforming the center from a historically government-only launch complex to a world-class spaceport that can support several different governmental and commercial spacecraft and rockets. Join the conversation on social media by following on social media at: https://www.twitter.com/NASAGroundSys and https://www.facebook.com/NASAGroundSystems -end-
	Press Contacts Amanda Griffin / Brittney Thorpe Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-3583 / 321-867-3050 amanda.griffin@nasa.gov / brittney.thorpe@nasa.gov
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