Lightning Protection System NASA Launch Pad 39B

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39B has massive steel towers that were partially assembled horizontally on the ground, then lifted into vertical position by a 60-story-tall crane.

Lightning is a well-known danger that causes delays to launch schedules. The new system features large cables strung between three, 594-foot-tall steel and fiberglass towers. Called a catenary wire system, it provides protection from lightning strikes and helps avoid delays to the launch schedule by collecting more information on the strike for analysis by launch managers.