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Super Guppy Ready to Transport the Orion Spacecraft

NASA's Super Guppy airplane ready to transport Orion spacecraft to Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's Super Guppy aircraft readies to transport an Orion spacecraft from the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s Super Guppy aircraft readies to transport the Orion spacecraft pressure vessel for Exploration Mission-1 from the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The pressure vessel will fly on the first integrated launch of Orion and NASA’s powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System. The test flight, which will fly without crew, will demonstrate the agency’s new capability to launch future deep space missions, which include missions to an asteroid and Mars.

The Super Guppy has a cargo compartment that is 25 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 111 feet long and can carry more than 26 tons. The aircraft has unique hinged nose that can open more than 200 degrees, allowing large pieces of cargo to be loaded and unloaded from the front.

Image Credit: NASA