Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Encyclopedia
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command
's 45th Space Wing
, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base
. Located on Cape Canaveral
in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads currently active. The facility is south-southeast of NASA
's Kennedy Space Center on adjacent Merritt Island, with the two linked by bridges and causeways. The Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip provides a 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway close to the launch complexes for military airlift aircraft delivering heavy and outsized payloads to the Cape.
Several major American space exploration "firsts" were launched from CCAFS, including the first U.S. earth satellite (1958), first U.S. astronaut (1961), first U.S. astronaut in orbit
(1962), first two-man U.S. spacecraft
(1965), first U.S. unmanned lunar landing
(1966), and first three-man U.S. spacecraft
(1968). It was also the launch site for the first spacecraft to ever fly past the other planets in the Solar System (1962–1977), the first spacecraft to orbit Mars
(1971) and roam its surface
(1996), the first American spacecraft to orbit and land on Venus
(1978), the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn (2004), and to orbit Mercury
(2011).
established the Joint Long Range Proving Grounds at Cape Canaveral to test missiles. The location was among the best in the continental United States for this purpose as it allowed for launches out over the Atlantic Ocean, and it was closer to the equator
than most other parts of the United States, allowing rockets to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.
On June 1, 1948, the U.S. Navy transferred the former Naval Air Station Banana River
to the U.S. Air Force, with USAF renaming the facility the Joint Long Range Proving Ground (JLRPG) Base on June 10, 1949. On October 1, 1949, the Joint Long Range Proving Ground Base was transferred from the Air Materiel Command to the Air Force Division of the Joint Long Range Proving Ground. On May 17, 1950, the base was renamed the Long Range Proving Ground Base, but three months later was renamed Patrick Air Force Base
, in honor of Army Maj. Gen. Mason Patrick
. In 1951, the Air Force established the Air Force Missile Test Center
.
Early American sub-orbital rocket flights were achieved at Cape Canaveral in 1956. These flights were shortly after some sub-orbital flights at White Sands
, such as Viking 11 on May 24, 1954.
Following the Soviet Union's successful Sputnik 1
, the US attempted its first launch of an artificial satellite from Cape Canaveral on December 6, 1957. However, the rocket carrying Vanguard TV3
blew up on the launch pad.
NASA
was founded in 1958, and Air Force crews launched missiles for NASA from the Cape, known then as Cape Canaveral Missile Annex. Redstone
, Jupiter, Pershing, Polaris, Thor, Atlas, Titan
and Minuteman
missiles were all tested from the site, the Thor becoming the basis for the expendable launch vehicle (ELV) Delta rocket
, which launched Telstar 1 in July 1962. The row of Titan (LC-15, 16, 19
, 20) and Atlas (LC-11, 12, 13, 14
) launch pads along the coast came to be known as Missile Row in the 1960s. NASA's early manned spaceflights, Mercury and Gemini, were prepared for launch from Cape launch pads LC-5
, LC-14 and LC-19 by U.S. Air Force crews.
In 1963, the installation was renamed Cape Kennedy Air Force Station after the geographic feature's name was changed from Cape Canaveral. In 1973, both names were reverted to Canaveral.
The Air Force chose to expand the capabilities of the Titan launch vehicles for its heavy lift capabilities. The Air Force constructed Launch Complexes 40 and 41 to launch Titan III and Titan IV rockets just south of Kennedy Space Center
. A Titan III has about the same payload capacity as the Saturn IB
at a considerable cost savings.
Launch Complex 40 and 41 have been used to launch defense reconnaissance, communications and weather satellites and NASA planetary missions. The Air Force also planned to launch two Air Force manned space projects from LC 40 and 41. They were the Dyna-Soar, a manned orbital rocket plane (canceled in 1963) and the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL), a manned reconnaissance space station (canceled in 1969).
From 1974–1977 the powerful Titan-Centaur became the new heavy lift vehicle for NASA, launching the Viking
and Voyager
series of spacecraft from Launch Complex 41. Complex 41 later became the launch site for the most powerful unmanned U.S. rocket, the Titan IV
, developed by the Air Force.
File:Canaveral.svg|thumb|left|200px|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
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Of the many launch complexes built since 1950, only four remain active with two planned for future use. Launch Complex SLC-17 is the home of the Delta II
. Launch Complexes SLC-37 and SLC-41 were modified to launch EELV
Delta IV
and Atlas V launch vehicles, respectively. These launch vehicles replaced all earlier Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets. Launch Complex SLC-47 is used to launch weather sounding rockets. Launch Complex SLC-46 is reserved for future use by the Spaceport Florida Authority. Launch Complex SLC-40 hosted the first launch of the SpaceX
Falcon 9
in June 2010.
In the case of low-inclination (geostationary) launches the location of the area at 28°27′N put it at a slight disadvantage against other launch facilities situated nearer the equator. The boost eastward from the Earth's rotation is about 908 miles per hour (405.9 m/s) at Cape Canaveral against about 1035 miles per hour (462.7 m/s) at the European Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
In the case of high-inclination (polar) launches the latitude does not matter, but the Cape Canaveral area is not suitable because inhabited areas underlie these trajectories; Vandenberg Air Force Base
, Cape Canaveral's West coast counterpart, is used instead.
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum
is located at LC-26
.
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Space Command is a major command of the United States Department of the Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations....
's 45th Space Wing
45th Space Wing
The 45th Space Wing is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the Fourteenth Air Force, stationed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. It is also the host unit at Patrick AFB.-Overview:...
, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. An Air Force Space Command base, it is home to the 45th Space Wing...
. Located on Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads currently active. The facility is south-southeast of NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Kennedy Space Center on adjacent Merritt Island, with the two linked by bridges and causeways. The Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip provides a 10000 feet (3,048 m) runway close to the launch complexes for military airlift aircraft delivering heavy and outsized payloads to the Cape.
Several major American space exploration "firsts" were launched from CCAFS, including the first U.S. earth satellite (1958), first U.S. astronaut (1961), first U.S. astronaut in orbit
Mercury-Atlas 6
Mercury-Atlas 6 was a human spaceflight mission conducted by NASA, the space agency of the United States. As part of Project Mercury, MA-6 was the successful first attempt by NASA to place an astronaut into orbit. The MA-6 mission was launched February 20, 1962. It made three orbits of the Earth,...
(1962), first two-man U.S. spacecraft
Gemini 3
Gemini 3 was the first manned mission in NASA's Gemini program, the second American manned space program. On March 23, 1965, the spacecraft, nicknamed The Molly Brown, performed the seventh manned US spaceflight, and the 17th manned spaceflight overall...
(1965), first U.S. unmanned lunar landing
Surveyor 1
Surveyor 1 was the first lunar soft-lander in the unmanned Surveyor program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration . This lunar soft-lander gathered data about the lunar surface that would be needed for the manned Apollo Moon landings that began in 1969...
(1966), and first three-man U.S. spacecraft
Apollo 7
Apollo 7 was the first manned mission in the American Apollo space program, and the first manned US space flight after a cabin fire killed the crew of what was to have been the first manned mission, AS-204 , during a launch pad test in 1967...
(1968). It was also the launch site for the first spacecraft to ever fly past the other planets in the Solar System (1962–1977), the first spacecraft to orbit Mars
Mariner 9
Mariner 9 was a NASA space orbiter that helped in the exploration of Mars and was part of the Mariner program. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and reached the planet on November 13 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit...
(1971) and roam its surface
Mars Pathfinder
Mars Pathfinder was an American spacecraft that landed a base station with roving probe on Mars in 1997. It consisted of a lander, renamed the Carl Sagan Memorial Station, and a lightweight wheeled robotic rover named Sojourner.Launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II booster a...
(1996), the first American spacecraft to orbit and land on Venus
Pioneer Venus project
The Pioneer mission to Venus consisted of two components, launched separately. Pioneer Venus 1 or Pioneer Venus Orbiter was launched in 1978 and studied the planet for more than a decade after orbital insertion in 1978. Pioneer Venus 2 or Pioneer Venus Multiprobe sent four small probes into the...
(1978), the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn (2004), and to orbit Mercury
MESSENGER
The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging space probe is a robotic NASA spacecraft in orbit around the planet Mercury. The spacecraft was launched aboard a Delta II rocket in August 2004 to study the chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field of Mercury...
(2011).
History
The CCAFS area had been used by the United States government since 1949 when President Harry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
established the Joint Long Range Proving Grounds at Cape Canaveral to test missiles. The location was among the best in the continental United States for this purpose as it allowed for launches out over the Atlantic Ocean, and it was closer to the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
than most other parts of the United States, allowing rockets to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.
Naval Air Station Banana River
Naval Air Station Banana River was a U.S. Navy airfield and seaplane base located just north of Satellite Beach, Florida along the Banana River prior to and during World War II...
to the U.S. Air Force, with USAF renaming the facility the Joint Long Range Proving Ground (JLRPG) Base on June 10, 1949. On October 1, 1949, the Joint Long Range Proving Ground Base was transferred from the Air Materiel Command to the Air Force Division of the Joint Long Range Proving Ground. On May 17, 1950, the base was renamed the Long Range Proving Ground Base, but three months later was renamed Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base
Patrick Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located between Satellite Beach and Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It was named in honor of Major General Mason Patrick. An Air Force Space Command base, it is home to the 45th Space Wing...
, in honor of Army Maj. Gen. Mason Patrick
Mason Patrick
Mason Mathews Patrick was a U.S. Army general and air power advocate.Patrick was born in Lewisburg, West Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1886. For three years he was at the Engineer School of Application, Willets Point, New York, graduating in 1889...
. In 1951, the Air Force established the Air Force Missile Test Center
Eastern Test Range
The Eastern Range is an American rocket range that supports missile and rocket launches from the two major launch heads located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Kennedy Space Center. The range has also supported Ariane launches from the Guiana Space Centre as well as providing support...
.
Early American sub-orbital rocket flights were achieved at Cape Canaveral in 1956. These flights were shortly after some sub-orbital flights at White Sands
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
, such as Viking 11 on May 24, 1954.
Following the Soviet Union's successful Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
, the US attempted its first launch of an artificial satellite from Cape Canaveral on December 6, 1957. However, the rocket carrying Vanguard TV3
Vanguard TV3
Vanguard TV3 was the first attempt of the United States to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth. It was a small satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of the three-stage Vanguard rocket and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit...
blew up on the launch pad.
NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
was founded in 1958, and Air Force crews launched missiles for NASA from the Cape, known then as Cape Canaveral Missile Annex. Redstone
Redstone (rocket)
The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range surface-to-surface rocket, it was in active service with the U.S. Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of Western Europe...
, Jupiter, Pershing, Polaris, Thor, Atlas, Titan
Titan (rocket family)
Titan was a family of U.S. expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. A total of 368 rockets of this family were launched, including all the Project Gemini manned flights of the mid-1960s...
and Minuteman
LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
missiles were all tested from the site, the Thor becoming the basis for the expendable launch vehicle (ELV) Delta rocket
Delta rocket
Delta is a versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95 percent success rate. Two Delta launch systems – Delta II and Delta IV – are in active use...
, which launched Telstar 1 in July 1962. The row of Titan (LC-15, 16, 19
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 19
Launch Complex 19 is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used by NASA to launch all of the Gemini manned spaceflights. It was also used by unmanned Titan I and Titan II launch vehicles....
, 20) and Atlas (LC-11, 12, 13, 14
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
) launch pads along the coast came to be known as Missile Row in the 1960s. NASA's early manned spaceflights, Mercury and Gemini, were prepared for launch from Cape launch pads LC-5
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5
Launch Complex 5 was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used for various Redstone and Jupiter launches.It is most well known as the launch site for NASA's 1961 suborbital Mercury-Redstone 3 flight, which made Alan Shepard the first American in space. It was also the launch...
, LC-14 and LC-19 by U.S. Air Force crews.
In 1963, the installation was renamed Cape Kennedy Air Force Station after the geographic feature's name was changed from Cape Canaveral. In 1973, both names were reverted to Canaveral.
The Air Force chose to expand the capabilities of the Titan launch vehicles for its heavy lift capabilities. The Air Force constructed Launch Complexes 40 and 41 to launch Titan III and Titan IV rockets just south of Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
. A Titan III has about the same payload capacity as the Saturn IB
Saturn IB
The Saturn IB was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use in the Apollo program...
at a considerable cost savings.
Launch Complex 40 and 41 have been used to launch defense reconnaissance, communications and weather satellites and NASA planetary missions. The Air Force also planned to launch two Air Force manned space projects from LC 40 and 41. They were the Dyna-Soar, a manned orbital rocket plane (canceled in 1963) and the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL), a manned reconnaissance space station (canceled in 1969).
From 1974–1977 the powerful Titan-Centaur became the new heavy lift vehicle for NASA, launching the Viking
Viking program
The Viking program consisted of a pair of American space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Each spacecraft was composed of two main parts, an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface...
and Voyager
Voyager program
The Voyager program is a U.S program that launched two unmanned space missions, scientific probes Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment of the late 1970s...
series of spacecraft from Launch Complex 41. Complex 41 later became the launch site for the most powerful unmanned U.S. rocket, the Titan IV
Titan IV
The Titan IV family of space boosters were used by the U.S. Air Force. They were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. At the time of its introduction, the Titan IV was the "largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force."The...
, developed by the Air Force.
Facilities
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Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
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Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
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Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
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Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Launch Complex 39 is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, USA. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built for the Apollo program, and later modified to support Space Shuttle operations. NASA began modifying LC-39 in 2007 to...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 is a launch site on Cape Canaveral, Florida. LC-34 and its twin to the north, LC-37, were used by NASA as part of the Apollo Program to launch Saturn I and IB rockets from 1961 through 1968...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 is a launch site on Cape Canaveral, Florida. LC-34 and its twin to the north, LC-37, were used by NASA as part of the Apollo Program to launch Saturn I and IB rockets from 1961 through 1968...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 20
Space Launch Complex 20 , previously designated Launch Complex 20 , is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 20
Space Launch Complex 20 , previously designated Launch Complex 20 , is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 19
Launch Complex 19 is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used by NASA to launch all of the Gemini manned spaceflights. It was also used by unmanned Titan I and Titan II launch vehicles....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 19
Launch Complex 19 is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used by NASA to launch all of the Gemini manned spaceflights. It was also used by unmanned Titan I and Titan II launch vehicles....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 16
Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch complex built for use by LGM-25 Titan missiles, and later used for NASA operations before being transferred back to the US military and used for tests of MGM-31 Pershing missiles. Six Titan I missiles were launched from the...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 16
Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch complex built for use by LGM-25 Titan missiles, and later used for NASA operations before being transferred back to the US military and used for tests of MGM-31 Pershing missiles. Six Titan I missiles were launched from the...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 15
Launch Complex 15 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by LGM-25 Titan missiles between 1959 and 1964. It was originally built for conducting test flights of the Titan I, which made its maiden flight from LC-15 on 6 February 1959...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 15
Launch Complex 15 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by LGM-25 Titan missiles between 1959 and 1964. It was originally built for conducting test flights of the Titan I, which made its maiden flight from LC-15 on 6 February 1959...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14
Launch Complex 14 is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13
Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a deactivated launch complex used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1978. It is the third-most southern of the complexes known as missile row, between LC-12 and LC-14...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12
Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It is the second-most southern of the pads known as missile row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12
Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It is the second-most southern of the pads known as missile row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 11
Launch Complex 11 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as missile row...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 36
Launch Complex 36 , known as Space Launch Complex 36 from 1997 to 2010, is a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida. Now operated under license by Space Florida, it was used for Atlas launches from 1962 until 2005...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 36
Launch Complex 36 , known as Space Launch Complex 36 from 1997 to 2010, is a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida. Now operated under license by Space Florida, it was used for Atlas launches from 1962 until 2005...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 1
Launch Complex 1 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It was constructed, with launch complexes 2, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 1
Launch Complex 1 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It was constructed, with launch complexes 2, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 2
Launch Complex 2 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral, Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was constructed with launch complexes 1, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s, for the Snark missile program....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 3
Launch Complex 3 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site southeast of SLC-36 on Cape Canaveral, Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was constructed, with launch complexes 1, 2, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 4
Launch Complex 4 was one of the first series of launch complexes to be built at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Cape Canaveral, Florida...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 21
Launch Complex 21 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch complex that was used for horizontal launches of cruise missiles between 1958 and 1963. It initially consisted of a single launch rail, from which XSM-73 Bull Goose missiles were tested...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 22
Launch Complex 22 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch complex that was used for horizontal launches of cruise missiles between 1957 and 1960. It consisted of two launch rails, from which XSM-73 Bull Goose and MGM-13 Mace missiles were tested...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 46
Space Launch Complex 46 is a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station operated under license by Space Florida for Athena rocket launches. It was originally used for tests of the Trident II missile between 1987 and 1989...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 46
Space Launch Complex 46 is a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station operated under license by Space Florida for Athena rocket launches. It was originally used for tests of the Trident II missile between 1987 and 1989...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 31
Launch Complex 31 is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.It was built in 1959 with LC-32 for the U.S. Air Force to conduct test launches of the first LGM-30 Minuteman missiles. LC-31 was built next to Navaho complex LC-9, requiring LC-10 to be demolished...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 31
Launch Complex 31 is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.It was built in 1959 with LC-32 for the U.S. Air Force to conduct test launches of the first LGM-30 Minuteman missiles. LC-31 was built next to Navaho complex LC-9, requiring LC-10 to be demolished...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 32
Launch Complex 32 is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.It was built in 1959 with LC-31 for the U.S. Air Force to comduct test launches of the first LGM-30 Minuteman missiles. These complexes were the first to feature dual launch pads, one of which was subterranean...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 10
Launch Complex 10 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida was a launch pad used by SM-64 Navaho missiles, and later Jason and Draco sounding rockets. It was located north of Launch Complex 17, where Launch Complexes 31 and 32 are now located...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 18
Launch Complex 18 is a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used by Viking, Vanguard, Thor and Scout rockets...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 18
Launch Complex 18 is a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used by Viking, Vanguard, Thor and Scout rockets...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 26
Launch Complex 26 is a deactivated launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-26 consisted of two pads, A and B. Pad A was used for the Jupiter-C and Juno I rockets, and was the launch site for Explorer 1, the United States' first satellite, in 1958. Pad B was used for Juno II...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 26
Launch Complex 26 is a deactivated launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-26 consisted of two pads, A and B. Pad A was used for the Jupiter-C and Juno I rockets, and was the launch site for Explorer 1, the United States' first satellite, in 1958. Pad B was used for Juno II...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5
Launch Complex 5 was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used for various Redstone and Jupiter launches.It is most well known as the launch site for NASA's 1961 suborbital Mercury-Redstone 3 flight, which made Alan Shepard the first American in space. It was also the launch...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 5
Launch Complex 5 was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida used for various Redstone and Jupiter launches.It is most well known as the launch site for NASA's 1961 suborbital Mercury-Redstone 3 flight, which made Alan Shepard the first American in space. It was also the launch...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 6
Launch Complex 6 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida is a launch site used by Redstone and Jupiter series rockets and missiles. It is on the south end of Cape Canaveral, close to Launch Complex 5, with which it shared a blockhouse. With LC-5, it was the location of the first tests of the...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 25
Launch Complex 25 was a four-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles Polaris, Posidon and Trident from 1958–1979....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 25
Launch Complex 25 was a four-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles Polaris, Posidon and Trident from 1958–1979....
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip
Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip is a military airport on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , 7 miles northeast of Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It has an asphalt paved runway designated 13/31 and measuring 10,000 x 200 ft. . The facility is owned by the United States...
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Skid Strip
Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip is a military airport on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , 7 miles northeast of Cocoa Beach, in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It has an asphalt paved runway designated 13/31 and measuring 10,000 x 200 ft. . The facility is owned by the United States...
Of the many launch complexes built since 1950, only four remain active with two planned for future use. Launch Complex SLC-17 is the home of the Delta II
Delta II
Delta II was an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and was in service from 1989 until November 1, 2011...
. Launch Complexes SLC-37 and SLC-41 were modified to launch EELV
EELV
Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle is an expendable launch system program of the United States Air Force , intended to assure access to space for Department of Defense and other United States government payloads...
Delta IV
Delta IV rocket
Delta IV is an active expendable launch system in the Delta rocket family. Delta IV uses rockets designed by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division and built in the United Launch Alliance facility in Decatur, Alabama. Final assembly is completed at the launch site by ULA...
and Atlas V launch vehicles, respectively. These launch vehicles replaced all earlier Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets. Launch Complex SLC-47 is used to launch weather sounding rockets. Launch Complex SLC-46 is reserved for future use by the Spaceport Florida Authority. Launch Complex SLC-40 hosted the first launch of the SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
Falcon 9
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system designed and manufactured by SpaceX. Both stages of its two-stage-to-orbit vehicle use liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellants...
in June 2010.
In the case of low-inclination (geostationary) launches the location of the area at 28°27′N put it at a slight disadvantage against other launch facilities situated nearer the equator. The boost eastward from the Earth's rotation is about 908 miles per hour (405.9 m/s) at Cape Canaveral against about 1035 miles per hour (462.7 m/s) at the European Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.
In the case of high-inclination (polar) launches the latitude does not matter, but the Cape Canaveral area is not suitable because inhabited areas underlie these trajectories; Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
, Cape Canaveral's West coast counterpart, is used instead.
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum
Air Force Space & Missile Museum
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum is located at Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It includes artifacts from the early American space program and includes an outdoor rocket garden displaying rockets, missiles and space-related equipment chronicling the US Air...
is located at LC-26
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 26
Launch Complex 26 is a deactivated launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. LC-26 consisted of two pads, A and B. Pad A was used for the Jupiter-C and Juno I rockets, and was the launch site for Explorer 1, the United States' first satellite, in 1958. Pad B was used for Juno II...
.
Gallery
See also
- List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites
External links
- Patrick Air Force Base
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour
- Air Force Space and Missile Museum Web site
- "Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Shines Again" article and video interview about the lighthouse
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary