NASA's Super Guppy Makes Ferry Flight

Watch the massive turboprop cargo aircraft land as it transports the Orion crew module heat shield to Alabama.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, November 08, 2023 at 01:54 PM ET

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NASA's Super Guppy [Credit: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Super Guppy recently transported the Orion spacecraft heat shield from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Alabama.
The Super Guppy is a massive turboprop cargo aircraft, originally designed in the 1960s to carry oversized loads.
The heat shield, which protected the Orion crew module during the Artemis I test flight, is being moved to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for routine post-flight analysis and removal of its outer protective layer.

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NASA’s Super Guppy was in flight this week, ferrying the Orion spacecraft heat shield from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Alabama.

The massive turboprop cargo aircraft was designed in the 1960s to accommodate oversized loads, such as body sections of the Saturn V rocket.

READ MORE: Inside NASA’s Super Guppy

On Monday, the behemoth landed at Huntsville Regional Airport (KUTS). “This unique visitor is always a sight to see!” the airport said on X, formerly Twitter.

Welcome (back) to HSV, Super Guppy! This unique visitor is always a sight to see! #FlyHSV #SuperGuppy pic.twitter.com/9SBAd76COs
— Huntsville International Airport (@FlyHSV) November 7, 2023

On board, according to NASA, was the heat shield that protected the Orion crew module during last year’s Artemis I test flight. The shield was then taken to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.

READ MORE: NASA Artemis II’s Orion Crew, Service Modules Joined

“Technicians at Marshall will use the center’s specialized milling tool to remove the heat shield’s outer layer of ablative material, a protective coating called Avcoat, as part of routine postflight analysis,” NASA said in a release.