NASA’s VAB High Bay 3 Modifications

NASA’s VAB High Bay 3 Platform modification project transformed the existing 525 feet tall Vehicle Assembly Building to handle the massive Space Launch System rockets. Structural modifications included reinforcing existing connections and structural members, Twenty (20) new access platforms for rocket assembly and maintenance, and adding seismic bracing to safely support the taller, heavier SLS stages. 

The new maintenance platforms weighed between 300,000 to 325,000 lbs and were installed up to heights of 311 ft above the VAB ground floor. These upgrades are key to launching Artemis missions and sending humans farther into space than ever before.