Orbiter Processing Facility
Immediately after landing, the orbiter is towed to the Orbiter
Processing Facility (OPF) located west of the
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) .
The orbiter then undergoes safing procedures in the OPF which
include removing residual fuels and explosive ordnance items.
Then the orbiter's previous mission payloads are removed and
the vehicle is fully inspected, tested, and refurbished for
its next mission. These functions require approximately
two-thirds of the time between missions. The remainder
is devoted to the installation and checkout of the payload
for the next mission. Power-up testing of orbiter vehicles
in the OPF are actually controlled from consoles in the
Launch Control Complex (LCC) .
OPF-1 and OPF-2 consist of two 2,700 sq meter (29,000 sq ft) high bays and are
separated by a 2,130 sq meter (23,600 sq ft) low bay while OPF-3 is across
the street.
OPF Statistics
- Maximum Height: 29 meters (95 ft).
- Maximum Length: 121 meters (397 ft).
- Maximum width: 71 meters (233 ft).
OPF-3 was previously called the Orbiter Maintenance &
Refurbishment Facility (OMRF) but has been upgraded to
a fully functioning Orbiter Processing Facility. OPF-3
is located across the street from OPF-1 and OPF-2. It
is 4,645 sq meters (50,000 sq ft) facility. It consists
of a high bay 29 meters high (95 ft) high and a two-story low bay area.
Click here for a detailed map of the Orbiter
Processing Facility Area.
Click Here for Other KSC Facilities.
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