National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Crawler-Transporters

NASAfacts
Crawler-Transporter Able to raise and lower its sides and corners inde-
pendently, the crawlers are designed to roll under-
A pair of behemoth machines called crawler-trans- neath a mobile launcher (ML), pick it up and steadily
porters have carried the load of taking rockets and carry it 4.2 miles to Launch Pad 39B. Because each
spacecraft to the launch pad for more than 50 years pad is built atop a sloping pyramid, the crawler uses
at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. its hydraulic suspension to keep the platform level all
the way to the top where it sets the platform in place
Each larger than the size of a baseball infield and so the vehicle can lift off safely.
powered by locomotive and large electrical power
generator engines, the crawler-transporters stand
ready to keep up the work for the next generation
Crawler-Transporter 2
of launch vehicles that will lift astronauts into space. Kennedy has upgraded one of its two massive crawl-
er transporters as the agency continues to prepare
The crawlers are unique in the world, having been built for its journey to the Moon and Mars under the Ar-
in 1965 to move the massive Saturn V rocket from temis program. Crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2) is more
Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to Launch than 50 years old, but with the current modifications
Complex 39. After the Moon landing and Skylab pro- conducted by the Exploration Ground Systems (EGS)
grams ended, the crawlers continued their work, tak- Program, CT-2 is expected to be in service for many
ing space shuttles to their launch pads for 30 years. years to come.

With the shuttle fleet retired in 2011, the crawlers are The overall size of CT-2 is 131 feet long and 114 feet
envisioned as critical elements of future launch op- wide. The crawler’s speed while carrying a launch
erations at Kennedy. One, the Crawler-Transporter 2, vehicle and spacecraft is limited by analysis that de-
is being strengthened to handle the Space Launch termines what rate provides the smoothest ride. The
System (SLS), a rocket and launch tower combina- crawler was designed to travel two miles per hour
tion heavier than even the Saturn V Moon rockets the unloaded but has not been tested to speed. To date,
crawlers were designed for. CT-2 has traveled 2,365 miles.

Crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2)
moves slowly along the
crawlerway on its way back to
the Vehicle Assembly Building
(in view in the background)
at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. Water
sprayed by a truck in front to
reduce dust creates a small
rainbow. The crawler took a
trip to the Pad A/B split to
test upgrades that will allow
the giant vehicle to handle the
load of the agency’s Space
Launch System rocket and
Orion spacecraft atop the
mobile launcher. Photo
credit: NASA/Leif Heimbold
Engineers tested the new modifications on CT-2 incrementally Weight
to prepare for the first integrated test flight of SLS and NASA’s
CT-2..........Approximately 6.65 million pounds (or the weight of
Orion spacecraft, known as Artemis I. NASA also has tested
about 15 Statues of Liberty or 1,000 pickup trucks).
different rollout variations. The 20-year-life modifications roll
tested the new 1500 kilowatt generators, parking and service
Speed
brakes, control system modifications, diesel engine refurbish-
ments, vent hoods, exhaust, and other Phase I upgrades. Loaded............................................................................. 1 mph
Unloaded.......................................................................... 2 mph
Recent modifications to the crawler include redesigned and
upgraded roller bearings, removal and replacement of the ex- Loads Capacity
isting bearings with a new assembly that can carry a greater Mobile Launch Platform and
load, and an improved lubrication system. These redesigns will Space Shuttle............................................12.6 million pounds
give the crawler a longer operational life and enable the giant Mobile Launcher Platform.........................9.87 million pounds
vehicle to carry the heavier loads expected with the SLS rock- ML-1..................................Approximately 11.3 million pounds
et. CT-2’s uprated load carrying capacity is 18 million pounds, Artemis I launch vehicle......Approximately 3.5 million pounds
50% higher than the original design. Load Capacity..................Able to transport 18 million pounds
(or the weight of more than 20 fully loaded 777 airplanes)
CT-2 will carry mobile launcher 1 (ML1) with the SLS atop from
the VAB to Launch Pad 39B. The crawler has four reinforced Trucks
pickup points on its surface that secure into place underneath Traction Motors.................. 375 hp each (16 each/4 per truck)
ML1 to carry it to the pad. Pinch blocks are located at three Belts.......................................................... 8 each (2 per truck)
of the four pickup points to secure the load being carried. The
crawler does not interface with the rocket, enabling it to carry Hydraulic System
future vehicles with no additional modifications needed.
Reservoir Capacity................................................2,500 gallons
Once the CT-2 makes its eight-hour trek to the pad with engi- Steering.............. 4 pumps, 34.4 GPM @ 1200 RPM, per pump
neers and technicians aboard, ML1 and SLS will be lowered Steering Pressure.......................................5,000 PSI maximum
onto pad mount mechanisms. After platforms are lowered and Jacking, Equalizing, Leveling (JEL)............................. 8 pumps,
power transfers are complete, the CT-2 will roll back down the 60 GPM Max, 15-20 GPM nominal @ 1200 RPM per pump
pad slope and park just outside the pad perimeter gate. CT-2 JEL Pressure..............................................3,000 PSI Maximum
will wait there until a few days prior to launch in case a rollback
is required. Then it will roll to the Mobile Service Structure park Electrical Systems
site to be protected during launch. DC Power System
16 locomotive traction motors........................................ 375 hp
Diesel Engines................................................Alco, 16 cylinders
(2 @ 2,750 hp each, for DC)
Crawler-Transporter Facts Generators (DC).......................................... 4 @ 1,000 kW each
Height AC Power System
Minimum (JEL cylinders retracted)................................ 20 feet Runs all onboard systems
Maximum (JEL cylinders extended).............................. 26 feet Diesel Engines............................Cummins Power, 16 cylinders,
2 @ 2,220 hp each, for A/C power
Size
Generators (AC)........................................... 2 @ 1,500 kW each
Overall............................................131 feet long, 114 feet wide
The mobile launcher contacts the crawler at four points, Capacity
arranged in a 90-foot square (same as the base line on a Diesel Fuel Capacity..............................................5,000 gallons
professional baseball field) Fuel Consumption....................................... 1 gallon per 32 feet
(approximately 165 gallons per mile)
Cylinders
Drive System Gear Ratio................................................... 168:1
JEL Hydraulic..........................................20-inch bore diameter
CT-1, 23-inch bore max diameter CT-2 (16 each)
Steering Hydraulic........................ 14.5-inch diameter (16 each)
Guide Tube (4 each)........................................ 40-inch diameter

Crawler-Transporters 2 NASA Facts

 From Apollo to Artemis March 23, 2016: CT-2 began its trek from the VAB out to
Launch Pad 39B to test recently completed upgrades and
March 1963: Fabrication began on the crawler-transporters modifications that were completed on the crawler to ensure
in Ohio. it will be ready to support the mobile launcher and SLS.

Nov. 1964: Assembly of the first crawler-transporter was March 29, 2016: The upgraded CT-2 returned from a trek to
completed on Merritt Island, Fla. Launch Pad 39B after testing of upgrades and modifications.

Nov. 1964: The crawlerway was ready for testing. March 22, 2017: CT-2, with the space shuttle-era mobile
launcher platform 1 atop, moved along the crawlerway for
Jan. 23, 1965: The crawler moved under its own power for a load test.
the first time.
May 31, 2018: CT-2 moved under the mobile launcher and
June 22, 1965: The crawler picked up its first load, a mobile picked it up. The lifting procedures were practiced three
launcher. times to validate interface locations and confirm the weight
of the mobile launcher.

Jan. 28, 1966: The crawler successfully transported a mo-

bile launcher approximately one mile to the VAB. Aug. 31 – Sept. 8, 2018: CT-2 moved the mobile launcher for
SLS along the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B to perform a
fit check between the pad and its subsystems. After several
Early 1966: Both crawlers became operational. days of testing at the pad, CT-2 moved the modified mobile
launcher into High Bay 3 of the VAB.
Aug. 26, 1967: The first Saturn V rocket was moved to the
launch pad for the uncrewed Apollo 4 mission. May 1, 2019: CT-2 took a practice run from the VAB along the
crawlerway, carrying the space shuttle-era mobile launcher
Oct. 9, 1968: A Saturn V rocket was moved to the launch platform 3, or MLP-3, on top.
pad for Apollo 8, the first crewed Saturn V mission.
June 28, 2019: CT-2 carried the mobile launcher from the
Feb. 27, 1973: The crawler carried the first Saturn IB to the VAB along the crawlerway to Launch Pad 39B for Verification
launch pad for the Skylab 2 mission. and Validation (V&V) testing of ML and pad systems.

May 1, 1979: A crawler transported space shuttle Enterprise, Aug. 30 – Sept. 10, 2019: CT-2 carried the mobile launcher
with external tank and two inert solid rocket boosters, to along the crawlerway from Pad 39B to the VAB for protection
Launch Pad A for fit check. from Hurricane Dorian and then back to the pad after the all
clear was issued.

Dec. 29, 1980: A crawler moved space shuttle Columbia out

to Launch Pad 39A for STS-1 mission. Dec. 19, 2019: CT-2 carried the mobile launcher along the
crawlerway to the VAB after completion of V&V testing.

April 6, 2005: After modifying the crawler, it moved space

shuttle Discovery to Launch Pad 39B for its STS-114 return- Oct. 6 – 27, 2020: CT-2 carried the mobile launcher from
to-flight mission. High Bay 3 in the VAB to Pad 39B for a systems check-
out and top-to-bottom washdown. After completion of the
systems checkout, CT-2 carried the mobile launcher back
Nov. 16 – 30, 2011: Moved the SLS mobile launcher from
to High Bay 3.
the park site beside the VAB to Launch Pad 39B and back.

Crawler-Transporters 3 NASA Facts

 Above: Crawlerway rock is visible as NASA’s upgraded crawler-transporter 2 (CT-2)
returns to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center
in Florida from its trek to Launch Pad 39B. CT2’s recently completed upgrades and
modifications were tested to ensure the vehicle will be ready to support NASA’s journey
to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Left: Exploration Ground Systems’ mobile launcher makes its last solo trek along the
crawlerway atop crawler-transporter 2 to Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex
39B in Florida on June 27, 2019. Its next roll to the pad will be with the agency’s Space
Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in preparation for the launch of Artemis I.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

NASA’s mobile launcher atop crawler-transporter 2 arrives at Launch Pad 39B on Aug. 31, 2018, at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for
a fit check and systems testing. The 380-foot-tall mobile launcher is equipped with the crew access arm and several umbilicals that will provide power,
environmental control, pneumatics, communication and electrical connections to NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.
Photo credit: NASA/Jamie Peer

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

www.nasa.gov

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