NASA Kennedy Space Center Propellants and Life Support Branch
The NASA Propellants and Life Support (PLS) Branch offers Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station customers one-stop access to over 22 liquid propellants, pressurants, chemicals, and special fluids. Each year PLS completes thousands of support operations for Atlas, Delta, Falcon, International Space Station, spacecraft, and on-board payloads. We bring expertise in PLS engineering, operations, and logistics to deliver safe, reliable and cost effective propellants support. Our team provides the propellants and related services so you can focus on the spacecraft processing and launch.
Our office is the Responsible Center For NASA-Wide Aerospace Fluids Acquisition and Management. We provide NASA the most cost effective and reliable sources of liquid propellants, gases, and special aerospace fluids. Specific expertises are:
- Leadership in acquisition of aerospace fluids under the Consolidated Contracting Initiative for bulk helium, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, and execution of other technical and administrative contract support
- Core technical expertise in cryogens, gases, hypergols, hydrocarbons, and special aerospace fluids
- Knowledge of market conditions affecting availability and costs of required fluids
- Monitor new program fluid requirements, assess the impacts to current supply sources, and develop strategies for support
- Monitor consumption and costs of major fluids used Agency-wide, and develop strategies for improved fluids logistics
- Represent the Agency on professional, technical, and legislative issues related to fluids logistics
Locally at KSC, PLS duties include:
- Provide operation and fluids engineering support to Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion, Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9 space launch systems, the International Space Station, and all KSC/CCAFS spacecraft missions.
- Responsible for propellant and life support services and equipment provided under KSC contract to operate and maintain the NASA’s largest and most diverse inventory of propellants and life support equipment
- Responsible for the storage and distribution of 22 different fluids at KSC, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and to other local customers
- Provide technical expertise to the design and operation of propellant systems to support space flight hardware processing
- Unique fluid storage and supply capability for high purity anhydrous ammonia, and high purity oxygen
- Oversee design, manufacture and then operate unique support equipment such as: hypergol containers, liquid helium conversion
- system, liquid oxygen tankers, SCAPE, liquid air packs, and N2O4 Molecular Sieve
- Liquid Air mixing and use
Useful Links
Energetics Research Group
NASA Space Science
