Launch Abort System Integration

A test version of the Orion crew module is inside the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 13, 2019, where they will be integrated. A fully functional Launch Abort System (LAS) will be used for the Orion Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) Flight Test, a full-stress test of the LAS, scheduled for spring 2019. AA-2 will launch from Space Launch Complex 46, carrying the LAS and a 22,000-pound Orion test vehicle to an altitude of 31,000 feet and traveling at more than 1,000 miles an hour. The test will verify the LAS can steer the crew module and astronauts aboard to safety in the event of an issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket when the spacecraft is under the highest aerodynamic loads it will experience during a rapid climb into space. NASA's Orion and Exploration Ground Systems programs and contractors from Jacob's and Northrop Grumman in conjunction with the Air Force Space and Missile Center's Launch Operations branch are performing flight operations for AA-2.