SLS was contracted by Jacobs Engineering to provide ruggedized D-dot sensors for Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at the Kennedy Space Center. LC-39B will support future launches of NASA’s revolutionary Space Launch System rocket, designed to carry astronauts to Mars and other deep-space destinations. SLS installed 10 D-dot sensors around the pad perimeter to sense fast electric field changes from lightning strikes to the pad or in the nearby vicinity. Operators use the critical data from these sensors both to locate the strike locations of the lightning events (using SLS software) and to estimate the electric field intensity impinging on the vehicle/payload. The SLS D-dot sensors were installed to replace other commercial sensors that failed in the coastal environment. SLS’ ruggedized sensors are designed to withstand prolonged exposure to the harsh coastal conditions and the close rocket-launch environment.