Vehicle Assembly Building, Aerospace assembly building in Brevard County, Florida, United States
The Vehicle Assembly Building is a 160.3-meter-tall assembly hangar at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. Its four high bays, each with a 139-meter door, stack rocket stages vertically on mobile launcher platforms, while a 28-meter transfer aisle and five overhead cranes handle components. The south facade carries a 63.7-meter American flag and the NASA insignia.
NASA contracted Urbahn Architects in 1963, and the first steel foundation piles were driven on August 2, 1963; the building was completed in 1966. Renamed the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 3, 1965, it was adapted for Space Shuttle mating and later for the Space Launch System, whose first rocket was assembled inside by March 2022.
The building serves as the place where rocket stages and spacecraft are stacked before rolling out to the launch pad, continuing a tradition that began with the Apollo program. Visitors often notice the enormous NASA logo painted on the facade, which remains one of the largest insignias of its kind and is visible from miles away.
The building can be viewed during guided tours through Kennedy Space Center, though access to work areas varies depending on assembly activity. Visitors should arrive early in the day, as queues often form later on.
The building's air system does not cool it but controls moisture, replacing the interior air every hour; 125 roof ventilators help. When the huge doors open, fog can drift in and linger, which fed a persistent rumor that the VAB makes its own weather. The flag's blue field is the size of a regulation basketball court.
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