Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2

The test version of Orion attached to the Launch Abort System for the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test is moved on a transport at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 22, 2019.
It was moved along the 21.5 mile trek to Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in preparation for its launch this summer. In the background is the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building. During AA-2, a test version of Orion will launch on a booster to more than six miles in altitude, where Orion’s launch abort system will pull the capsule and its crew away to safety if an emergency occurs during ascent on the Space Launch System rocket. The AA-2 elements will be stacked together at the launch pad over the next several weeks. The launch is planned for July 2 and is a critical safety test that helps pave the way for Artemis missions near the Moon, and will enable astronauts to set foot on the lunar surface by 2024.

Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux KSC-20190522-PH_FWM01 _0402 Larger image