SLS was tasked by AECOM and Space Florida to design a new lightning protection system (LPS) for the newly-renovated Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. LC-46 is being re-purposed to support up to nine different small to medium class orbital launch vehicles. SLS performed detailed 3D rolling sphere and transient analyses to optimize the LPS design. In addition, SLS performed a suite of ground resistivity measurements at LC-46 to guide the design of the LPS grounding system.
Construction of the new LC-46 LPS is scheduled to be completed during the summer of 2018. LC-46 will be supporting NASA’s Orion Abort-Ascent (AA-2) mission in 2019.
