NASA
NASA operates a custom cargo barge, upgraded from its original Space Shuttle duties to support the Space Launch System (SLS). Previously, the agency maintained two booster recovery ships until 2011.
Photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Pegasus Barge
Cargo barge with crew accommodations. Originally build to transport Space Shuttle components in 1999, modified to carry SLS flight hardware in 2014. Photo: Charles Nowlin/Stennis
Location:
NASA Sites
Mission:
SLS
Liberty Star
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRBs) recovery ship. Occasionally used to tow the Pegasus Barge. Retired from NASA in 2012 at the end of the Shuttle program. Photo: NASA/MSFC
Location:
Retired
Mission:
Shuttle
Freedom Star
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRBs) recovery ship. Occasionally used to tow the Pegasus Barge. Retired from NASA in 2012 at the end of the Shuttle program. Photo: NASA Johnson