Air Products announced the successful completion of the first filling of liquid hydrogen into the world’s largest cryogenic sphere, located at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The operation involved more than 50 trailer loads totaling more than 730,000 gallons to supply the new 90-foot-tall, 83-foot-diameter tank.
Hydrogen sphere to return to the Moon
The liquid hydrogencombined with liquid oxygen, is the fuel that powers cryogenic rocket engines. This supply is critical to the Artemis program program, which seeks to bring humans back to the Moon and establish a permanent presence on its surface. The magnitude of the depot strengthens the space agency’s ability to sustain large-scale launches for the foreseeable future.
The relationship between NASA and Air Products dates back to 1957, when the company began supplying hydrogen and other industrial gases for programs such as Mercury, Apollo and the Space Shuttle. Space Shuttle. Now, that cooperation expands into modern missions, supporting not only the U.S. agency, but also private initiatives exploring space with cryogenic technologies.
Source and photo: Air Product
