R/S RocketShip
We Go To Sea Before We Go To Space
Transports Atlas V, Delta IV Heavy and Vulcan Centaur boosters, second stages and payload fairings.
Travels 2,642 river miles and 10,506 ocean miles (from Decatur AL to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL to Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA)
Capable of carrying an entire Delta IV Heavy: three boosters, second stage and payload
About
R/S RocketShip is a unique cargo ship used to transport rockets from United Launch Alliance's (ULA's) 1.6 million square foot production facility in Decatur, AL.
RocketShip has been in use for nearly two decades, bringing Delta IV
rocket stages to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, and
Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA. In 2011, it started carrying Atlas V
stages and recently transported Vulcan Centaur stages.
RocketShip is a highly maneuverable, unique custom-built rocket transport ship
able to navigate both rivers and open ocean--the only U.S. flagged ship
with this versatility.
The roll-on, roll-off cargo ship is 312 feet long, weighs nearly 19
million pounds, has complete living quarters and dining area for its
crew of 16, a heli-pad on the top deck, a below-deck machine shop and
sophisticated computers and navigational aids on the bridge.
