Some film pictures from my visit October 4th. ISO 200 Kodak on an old Canon EOS300
Quote from: maquinsa on 10/14/2025 04:18 amSome film pictures from my visit October 4th. ISO 200 Kodak on an old Canon EOS300Film grain! And lot's of it I might add. But that's the "charm" of old-skool photography.
Bechtel is winding down its workforce at Kennedy Space Center as the Mobile Launcher 2 project approaches completion, with layoffs scheduled to happen in phases over several months starting in January 2026.
Bechtel, a key NASA partner, is laying off around 60 employees at Kennedy Space Center starting January 2026 as work shifts from peak construction to testing for NASA's Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2) for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
Elisar Priel@ENNEPS·It was another Artemis day at KSC, as the crew access arm was lifted and installed in place on the ML-2, meanwhile, the crew of the Artemis II mission drove past the @NASASpaceflight cameras on their way to the VAB for a countdown demonstration test.
paywalled but interestingNASA partner to lay off dozens of Kennedy Space Center employees as project winds downhttps://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2025/11/14/bechtel-national-kennedy-space-center-nasa-layoffs.htmlNov 14, 2025QuoteBechtel is winding down its workforce at Kennedy Space Center as the Mobile Launcher 2 project approaches completion, with layoffs scheduled to happen in phases over several months starting in January 2026.Asking IA it says:QuoteBechtel, a key NASA partner, is laying off around 60 employees at Kennedy Space Center starting January 2026 as work shifts from peak construction to testing for NASA's Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2) for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket
Quote from: pochimax on 12/08/2025 08:44 ampaywalled but interestingNASA partner to lay off dozens of Kennedy Space Center employees as project winds downhttps://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2025/11/14/bechtel-national-kennedy-space-center-nasa-layoffs.htmlNov 14, 2025QuoteBechtel is winding down its workforce at Kennedy Space Center as the Mobile Launcher 2 project approaches completion, with layoffs scheduled to happen in phases over several months starting in January 2026.Asking IA it says:QuoteBechtel, a key NASA partner, is laying off around 60 employees at Kennedy Space Center starting January 2026 as work shifts from peak construction to testing for NASA's Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2) for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocketIt really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule.....
Quote from: cplchanb on 12/22/2025 01:40 pmIt really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule....."Seems" being the correct word here.ML2 will be going thru a lot of basic electrical and fluid checks before the contractor turns it over to NASA in late 2026. And then the real fun begins: The Verification and Validation Phase, which will take another 20 to 24 months.So, by the time ML2 is ready to actually support a vehicle stacking campaign, it will be NET late 2028/early 2029.
It really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule.....
Quote from: woods170 on 12/23/2025 03:07 pmQuote from: cplchanb on 12/22/2025 01:40 pmIt really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule....."Seems" being the correct word here.ML2 will be going thru a lot of basic electrical and fluid checks before the contractor turns it over to NASA in late 2026. And then the real fun begins: The Verification and Validation Phase, which will take another 20 to 24 months.So, by the time ML2 is ready to actually support a vehicle stacking campaign, it will be NET late 2028/early 2029.Given that Artemis III is already semi-officially delayed until the end of 2028, I think the comment was quite accurate...
Quote from: pochimax on 01/17/2026 04:28 pmQuote from: woods170 on 12/23/2025 03:07 pmQuote from: cplchanb on 12/22/2025 01:40 pmIt really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule....."Seems" being the correct word here.ML2 will be going thru a lot of basic electrical and fluid checks before the contractor turns it over to NASA in late 2026. And then the real fun begins: The Verification and Validation Phase, which will take another 20 to 24 months.So, by the time ML2 is ready to actually support a vehicle stacking campaign, it will be NET late 2028/early 2029.Given that Artemis III is already semi-officially delayed until the end of 2028, I think the comment was quite accurate...I think we are conflating Artemis III and Artemis IV. If ML2 cannot support a stacking campaign until late 2028, and a stacking campaign takes multiple months, then ML2 availability precludes a late 2028 launch of a block 1B SLS.However, this has little or nothing to do with Artemis III, which is supposed to launch on an SLS block 1 and uses ML1.
Quote from: DanClemmensen on 01/17/2026 05:01 pmQuote from: pochimax on 01/17/2026 04:28 pmQuote from: woods170 on 12/23/2025 03:07 pmQuote from: cplchanb on 12/22/2025 01:40 pmIt really feels quite ironic that we were bemoaning the scheduling delays of ML-2 but now that its actually wrapping up construction soon, it seems like mission hardware is in fact the actual gatekeeper to the overall schedule....."Seems" being the correct word here.ML2 will be going thru a lot of basic electrical and fluid checks before the contractor turns it over to NASA in late 2026. And then the real fun begins: The Verification and Validation Phase, which will take another 20 to 24 months.So, by the time ML2 is ready to actually support a vehicle stacking campaign, it will be NET late 2028/early 2029.Given that Artemis III is already semi-officially delayed until the end of 2028, I think the comment was quite accurate...I think we are conflating Artemis III and Artemis IV. If ML2 cannot support a stacking campaign until late 2028, and a stacking campaign takes multiple months, then ML2 availability precludes a late 2028 launch of a block 1B SLS.However, this has little or nothing to do with Artemis III, which is supposed to launch on an SLS block 1 and uses ML1.late 2028 is for Artemis III. I suppose Artemis IV would have to have its launch date updated and be assigned to 2030. That's why it doesn't seem like the tower is no longer the problem, but rather the rest of the hardware.However, it's not exactly as I've said, since the tower has to undergo pad tests and the VAB has to be reconfigured, and for that to happen, Artemis III has to take place, and the tests with the tower take time.
How is ML-2 testing and validation dependent on Artemis III?
Quote from: DanClemmensen on 01/19/2026 03:37 pmHow is ML-2 testing and validation dependent on Artemis III?Won't they want to use the pad for testing connections to ML-2?
Quote from: sdsds on 01/19/2026 05:45 pmQuote from: DanClemmensen on 01/19/2026 03:37 pmHow is ML-2 testing and validation dependent on Artemis III?Won't they want to use the pad for testing connections to ML-2?How much of the time is the pad occupied by ML-1 for Artemis III? ML-1 and ML-2 are mobile. Unless they intend to modify the pad interfaces, they should be able to time-share the pad.
