NASA’s Pegasus Barge arrived at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf, making its first delivery to Kennedy in support of the agency’s Artemis missions. The upgraded 310-foot-long barge arrived Friday, Sept. 27, ferrying the 212-foot-long Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage pathfinder. Weighing in at 228,000 pounds, the pathfinder is a full-scale mock-up of the rocket’s core stage. The pathfinder will be used by the Exploration Ground Systems Program and their contractor, Jacobs, to practice offloading, moving and stacking maneuvers, using important ground support equipment to train employees and certify all the equipment works properly. The pathfinder will stay at Kennedy for approximately one month before trekking back to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.
Photo credit: NASA/Mike Downs