Planetags NASA MLP-2

A piece of the final connection before liftoff

Bring space exploration history into your collection with a NASA MLP-2 PlaneTag from MotoArt. Made from authentic Tail Service Mast material from Mobile Launch Platform-2, this collectable preserves part of the equipment that connected the Space Shuttle to the ground until the moment of launch.

Unlike a conventional aircraft-skin tag, this piece is cut from half-inch-thick hardened steel. Its material comes from a launch platform whose story spans the Apollo and Space Shuttle programmes, offering a tangible connection to the infrastructure behind historic journeys into space.

From Apollo to the Space Shuttle

NASA began developing its Mobile Launchers in 1963 for the Apollo programme. These enormous two-storey structures supported Saturn V rockets during assembly and launch. They were later modified for the Space Shuttle programme and renamed Mobile Launch Platforms.

After supporting assembly, the platform was transported to Launch Complex 39. Once in position, it became the launch surface itself. Although MLP-2 never left Earth, it played a direct role in sending spacecraft beyond it.

As Mobile Launcher-2, it supported the uncrewed Apollo 6 mission, followed by Apollo 9, 12 and 14, and the launch of Skylab aboard a Saturn V in 1973.

MLP-2’s Shuttle service

• Supported 44 Space Shuttle launches, beginning in 1983.
• Served as the launch platform for the maiden flight of every Shuttle orbiter except Columbia.
• Was the launch platform for Challenger’s final flight.

The role of the Tail Service Masts

Two Tail Service Masts stood on either side of the Shuttle main-engine exhaust opening. Their umbilical connections supplied the orbiter with propellants from the launch pad tanks, along with helium, nitrogen, purge air, electrical power and communication links.

At launch, the umbilicals rapidly withdrew into the masts, where blast doors protected them from the flames. These connections were the last equipment to touch the Shuttle before it lifted away, making the source material of this PlaneTag especially significant.

A substantial space-history collectable

• Authentic source material: Made from retired MLP-2 Tail Service Mast material, not simply stamped metal.
• Hardened steel: Half an inch thick, waterjet cut and laser etched.
• Numbered limited edition: Each piece is individually numbered.
• Display presentation: Attached to an aluminium display card with a magnet.
• Individual character: Colour, thickness and signs of wear reflect the part of MLP-2 from which it was cut, so identical pieces are rare.

Give it a place in your space memorabilia collection as a reminder of the engineering on the ground that made liftoff possible.

Mobile Launch Platform specifications

• Manufacturer: Ingalls Iron Works
• Build year: 1964
• Length: 160 ft
• Width: 135 ft
• Height: 25 ft
• Pedestals: Six, each 22 ft
• Empty weight: 9.25 million lb
• Weight with unfuelled Shuttle: 12.02 million lb
• Weight with fuelled Shuttle: 13.72 million lb

Tail Service Mast specifications

• Length: 15 ft
• Width: 9 ft
• Height: 31 ft
• Connections: Liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, ground electrical power and communication links

Important Notice – Please Read Carefully

PlaneTags are made from actual retired TSM material, not merely stamped metal. Because PlaneTags are made from real TSM material, each PlaneTag bears the color, thickness, and wear and tear from the portion of the MLP-2 from which it was cut and it is therefore rare to create two identical PlaneTags. These variations and imperfections are not product flaws. They are part of the beauty of PlaneTags. As a result, you will not have an option to select the color of your PlaneTag. The images on this website are provided for reference only and should not be used as the sole basis for choosing a particular PlaneTag.