NASA Simulations Improve Artemis II Launch Environment
NASA is applying advanced computational simulations to refine the launch environment for its Artemis II mission, leveraging detailed models of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s exhaust interactions with launch infrastructure to inform preparations for the crewed lunar flyby planned for no earlier than April 1, 2026. Engineers at NASA’s Ames Research Center used the Launch, Ascent, and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA) framework to analyse how gases and water from the launch pad’s sound suppression system interact with the rocket plume, helping predict pressure zones and structural loads on the mobile launcher and ground systems. These analyses use data from the uncrewed Artemis I flight to build on real flight conditions.
The simulations focused on computational fluid dynamics around the SLS rocket’s plume and the launchpad, identifying how exhaust gases can alter water distribution from the sound suppression infrastructure and creating higher pressure regions than previously expected. Results from these models enabled engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to adjust design elements of the launch platform to better withstand plume pressures, enhancing safety margins for the upcoming crewed flight. NASA will release LAVA broadly to the aerospace community to support industry research and design optimisation, expanding on simulation tools developed for aeronautics and space missions under ongoing research initiatives.
These simulation efforts are part of a broader push within NASA to integrate high‑end computing, wind tunnel data and advanced software into mission planning for Artemis and other deep‑space endeavours. By improving predictive models of vehicle‑environment interactions, NASA aims to mitigate risks associated with the powerful SLS rocket during launch and ascent. As Artemis II progresses through pad readiness and final test activities, simulation‑informed adjustments contribute to confidence in hardware readiness and ground infrastructure performance ahead of the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century.
