NASAfacts

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Vehicle Assembly Building

The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, is a national 

landmark that remains a central element in NASA’s 

plans to launch people and equipment deep into 

space on missions of exploration, including the 

agency’s Artemis program. Built at NASA’s Kennedy 

Space Center in Florida, the VAB will serve as the 

central hub of the premier multi-user spaceport, capable of processing several different kinds of rockets 

and spacecraft at the same time.

Whether the rockets and spacecraft are going into 

Earth orbit or being sent into deep space, the iconic 

facility will have the infrastructure to prepare them 

correctly for their missions. The VAB remains the only 

facility where assembly of a rocket occurred that carried humans beyond low-Earth orbit and on to the 

Moon. For 30 years, it also served as the final assembly point for space shuttles, where solid rocket 

boosters were stacked, external fuel tanks were mated to the boosters and shuttle orbiters were attached 

to the booster/tank prior to roll out to the launch pad.

The Exploration Ground Systems Program is leading 

an extensive refurbishment of the VAB to prepare it 

for the next chapter in human exploration. The modernization calls for a flexible setting rather than configuring the whole building toward supporting one 

design.

Old communications, power and vehicle access resources are being replaced with modern, efficient 

systems. Some of the utilities and systems slated for 

replacement have been used since the VAB opened 

in 1965. Apollo-era water, sewer and drainage piping 

is being replaced, and installation of a new fire protection system is nearly complete.

The enormous structure is made of concrete and 

steel, which has naturally aged over the years. Studies and field investigations were completed to identify corrosion to steel and ground support equipment, 

and identify and repair spalling in the concrete.

NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is one of the largest buildings in the world by volume. 

The VAB, which served as the final assembly point for space shuttles for 30 years, has been upgraded to support NASA’s 21st 

century launch complex. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

www.nasa.gov

FS-2019-08-2223-KSC

A metamorphosis has occurred in one of the VAB’s four high 

bays, High Bay 3. Several miles of Apollo/shuttle-era abandoned copper and lead-shielded cabling were removed to 

make room for installation of state-of-the-art command, communication and control systems that will be needed to perform 

vehicle testing and verification prior to rollout to the launch pad.

The shuttle-era work platforms also were removed. Ten levels 

of new work platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, were installed in the high bay. These platforms will surround NASA’s 

Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft 

and allow access during processing for missions, including the 

first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket.

The VAB was constructed for the assembly of the Apollo/Saturn 

V moon rocket, the largest rocket made by humans at the time. 

The last structural beam was positioned in the VAB in 1965. 

The interior construction, including the construction of the extensible work platforms, was completed in 1966. The building 

is located 3.5 miles from Launch Pad 39A and 4.2 miles fromLaunch Pad 39B. A pair of crawler-transporters, some of the 

largest machines ever to move on land, were used to carry the 

completed rockets to the pad.

One of the largest buildings in the world by area, the VAB covers eight acres, is 525 feet tall and 518 feet wide. It is made up 

of 65,000 cubic yards of concrete and its frame is constructed 

from 98,590 tons of steel. It stands atop a support base of 

4,225 steel pilings driven 164 feet into bedrock.

The building also is home to the largest American flag, a 

209-foot-tall, 110-foot-wide star spangled banner painted on 

its south side. A 12,300-square-foot NASA logo also adorns 

the south side of the massive facility. The flag and logo were 

repainted as part of the refurbishment of the building.

The tallest portion of the VAB is called the high bay. There are 

four high bays, two on the east side, and two on the west side 

of the building. Each has a 456-foot-high door. The doors are 

the largest in the world and take about 45 minutes to open or 

close completely.

The lower structure, called the low bay, has large areas of its 

own that may be used to store rocket components until they 

are needed. A transfer aisle down the center of the VAB connects the bays, allowing massive components and equipment 

to be rolled into the building, lifted and assembled on a specialized platform that is carried to the launch pad.

There are five overhead cranes inside the VAB, including two 

that can hold 325 tons. These are critical to picking up the 

heaviest elements of rockets and placing them carefully into 

position before launch. Operated from cabs near the VAB’s 

ceiling, the cranes are precise enough to lower an object onto 

an egg without cracking it.

Combining established capabilities with modern needs is the 

primary goal as the world’s most famous landmark of space 

exploration is being upgraded to support NASA’s 21st century 

launch complex.

The engine service platform that will provide access to the core stage of the 

Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is moved beneath the mobile launcher 

in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space 

Center in Florida on June 14, 2019. The large work platform is designed to 

provide unrestricted access to the RS-25 engines on the SLS core stage 

from the mobile launcher. The service platform will be used for Artemis I and 

subsequent missions. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky