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Cape Canaveral
Launch Pads-Abandoned
The launch structures at Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 17 (Pads A and B) were demolished on Thursday, July 12, 2018.
Photo Courtesy: Mike Howard / SpaceFlight Insider
MR. BOOS: DON'T MISS NOTES ON ABANDONED LAUNCH PADS
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Launch Complex 1 (LC-1)
Northrop SM-62 Snark
Photo Courtesy: PD-USGov-Military-Air Force
Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) is a deactivated launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It was constructed, with launch complexes 2, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program. The first launch from this site was a Snark test, conducted on January 13, 1955. The complex was used for Snark missions until 1960, and then was utilized as a helicopter pad during Project Mercury.
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Northrop SM-62 Snark at the
National Museum of the US Air Force
Photo by Greg Hume
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) is a deactivated launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral, Florida at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It was constructed with launch complexes 1, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s, for the Snark missile program. The first launch from this site was a Snark test conducted on February 18, 1954. The complex was used for Snark missions until 1960, and then was utilized as a helicopter pad during Project Mercury.
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3)
The U.S. Navy UGM-27 Polaris A-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile on the pad in Cape Canaveral, circa 1964.
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3) is a deactivated launch site southeast of SLC-36 on Cape Canaveral, Florida at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It was constructed, with launch complexes 1, 2, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program. It was formerly used to launch Bumper, BOMARC, UGM-27 Polaris, and Lockheed X-17 missiles. The pad was also the site of the first launch from Cape Canaveral, a Bumper rocket on July 24, 1950. The site also served as a medical support facility during Project Mercury.
Launch Complex 4-4A(LC-4)
Redstone Rocket at Cape Canaveral PhotoCourtesy: U.S. Army
Launch Complex 4 (LC-4) was one of the first series of launch complexes to be built at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Cape Canaveral, Florida. It consisted of two pads, LC-4 which was used for 25 launches of Bomarc, Matador and Redstone missiles between 1952 and 1960; and LC-4A, which was used for three Bomarc launches between 1958 and 1959. Following its deactivation in 1960, the original structures at the complex were dismantled. New facilities were built at the site in the 1980s, and it was used for aerostat launches between 1983 and 1989. Following this, the aerostat launch facilities were also removed, and the complex is currently not accessible to the public.
Launch Complex 5 (LC-5)
Preparations to launch Mercury-Redstone 1 at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 5. Photo Courtesy: NASA
Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 5 (LC-5) was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Space 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 site of Gus Grissom's July, 1961, Mercury-Redstone 4 flight. The Mercury-Redstone 1 pad abort, Mercury-Redstone 1A, and the January, 1961, Mercury-Redstone 2 with a chimpanzee, Ham, aboard, also used LC-5. A total of 23 launches were conducted from LC-5: one Jupiter-A, six Jupiter IRBMs, one Jupiter-C, four Juno Is, four Juno IIs and seven Redstones. The first launch from the complex was a Jupiter-A on July 19, 1956 and the final launch was Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 capsule on July 21, 1961.
Launch Complex 6 (LC-6)
Redstone Missile RS-27 4-stage (4th stage inert) Jupiter-C launched 0145 Hours EDT from Launch Complex LC6 at Cape Canaveral, Florida September 20, 1956. RS was the designation for missiles built by the ABMA at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville. RS-27 flight was the first deep penetration of space. Estimated altitude: 682 statute miles; estimated range: 3335 statute miles; estimated maximum speed: Mach 18. Photo : NASA
Launch Complex 6 (LC-6) at Cape Canaveral Space 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 mobile launch concept designed by Kurt H. Debus.[citation needed] This concept was revised and improved and eventually used at LC-39 for the Saturn V and Space Shuttle. LC-6 was deactivated in 1961. The blockhouse and a 61.96 m (203.3 ft) square concrete pad are the only parts of the complex that remain intact, although the mobile service tower was under restoration as of 2011. The complex is part of the "Cape Canaveral: Then and Now" tour, available from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Launch Complex 9 (LC-9)
The launch of U.S. Air Force cruise missile Navaho in 1957. Even though it never reached operational status before cancellation in 1957, Navaho research development contributed to the aeronautical research program. The heavy Navaho vehicle weighed 136,000 kilograms, capable of Mach-3 speeds, and used an improved V-2 engine, was boosted into the air by three liquid-propellant rocket engines of 135,000 pounds of thrust each. Variants of these engines were developed for Army's Redstone and Jupiter rockets. Photo: NASA
Launch Complex 9 (LC-9) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is a launch pad on Cape Canaveral in Florida. It is north of Launch Complex 17. It is a small concrete structure consisting of an elevated launch pedestal and flame trench, centered on a small oval-shaped concrete pad. It was used for ten test launches of SM-64 Navaho missiles. The Navaho was a supersonic nuclear-armed cruise missile. In addition to LC-9, Navaho tests were also conducted at LC-10 and Edwards Air Force Base. The Navaho was cancelled after poor performance in testing, eight of the eleven test launches of the final prototype failed. All of the failed launches were conducted from LC-9. As of 2023, the concrete launch structure is still standing, but is not maintained; and the launch support equipment has been removed.
Launch Complex 10 (LC-10)
Preparation for a Cape Canaveral launch of a Alpha Draco missile. Photo Courtesy: Gunter's Space Page
Launch Complex 10 (LC-10) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida was a launch pad used by SM-64 Navaho missiles, and later Jason sounding rockets and the Alpha Draco research missile. It was located north of Launch Complex 17, where Launch Complexes 31 and 32 are now located. A single Navaho missile was test-launched from LC-10, on 12 August 1957, and was one of only three Navahos to complete a successful flight. Following the cancellation of the Navaho, LC-10 was reused for launches of Jason and Draco sounding rockets during 1958 and 1959. The last launch to use the site was of a Draco on 27 April 1959. LC-10 was subsequently demolished during the construction of Launch Complexes 31 and 32, which were built on the same site.
Launch Complex 12 (LC-12)
Gantry pull back at Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 12 for an Atlas-D launch with Project Fire 1. In foreground trailers with Helium pressure bottles.
Photo Courtesy: NASA
Launch Complex 12 (LC-12) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida was a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It was the second-most southern of the pads known as Missile Row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north. Along with Complexes 11, 13 and 14, 12 featured a more robust design than many contemporary pads, due to the greater power of the Atlas compared to other rockets of the time. It was larger, and featured a concrete launch pedestal that was 6 metres (20 ft) tall and a reinforced blockhouse. The rockets were delivered to the launch pad by means of a ramp on the southwest side of the launch pedestal. Atlas A, C and D missiles were tested from the site. It was also used for orbital launches of Atlas-Able and later Atlas-Agena rockets, and two Project FIRE suborbital tests for Project Apollo, using Atlas D rockets. LC-12's first launch was Atlas 10A on January 10, 1958. During the second half of the year, a larger umbilical service tower was built in preparation for the C series Atlas tests, flown from December 1958 to August 1959. On 24 September 1959, the first Atlas-Able, 9C, exploded during a static firing test at LC-12, after a turbopump on one of the engines failed to trigger a complete engine shutdown. The damaged turbopump continued to allow oxidizer to flow, feeding the fire beneath the vehicle. About a minute later the rocket suffered a structural failure, collapsed and exploded. The entire service tower and both umbilical towers were knocked over and the concrete launch stand caved in. Because damage to LC-12 was so extensive, it did not host another launch until Missile 56D in May 1960. The large service tower was not rebuilt following the explosion of Atlas 9C. It then hosted more ICBM tests along with the second and third Atlas Able probes. In 1961, LC-12 was converted to support the Atlas-Agena rocket. The first Atlas-Agena launch from LC-12 was in August 1961. On 23 April 1962, Atlas-Agena B 133D launched Ranger 4, the first American spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, when it made a hard landing at an impact speed of 9,617 kilometres per hour (5,976 mph). On 27 August 1962, Mariner 2 was launched by Atlas-Agena B 179D, the first spacecraft conduct a successful flyby of another planet when it flew past Venus on 14 December 1962. On 28 July 1964, Atlas-Agena B 250D launched Ranger 7, which was the first fully successful Ranger mission. On 28 November 1964, Atlas-Agena D 288D launched with Mariner 4, which provided the first close-up pictures of Mars. In 1967, LC-12 became the third of the four Atlas pads to be deactivated. Following deactivation, the launch tower, mobile service structure and launch support equipment were dismantled, and the site is no longer maintained.
Launch Complex 14 (LC-14)
Left Photo by Jacobst is the Project Mercury memorial located at the entrance to the road leading to Launch Complex 14 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, May 2007. The time capsule is located underneath the concrete slab. Right Photo by NASA is LC-14 with a mounted Mercury-Atlas 9.
LC-14 was the first Atlas pad in operation and hosted the test flights in 1957–58. It was also the only one of the original four pads to never have a booster explode on it. By 1959, it was decided to convert the pad for the Atlas D missile and space launches, and a large service tower was added early in the year. The first Atlas flown from the renovated LC-14 was Missile 7D on May 18; however, a problem with the launcher hold-down arms damaged the missile and caused its explosion shortly after launch. This was traced to improper procedures during the renovation of the pad and was quickly fixed. The first space launch off of LC-14 was the Big Joe Mercury test in September. As the designated Mercury-Atlas facility, LC-14 was thus the only Atlas pad sporting the infrastructure needed for manned launches. The first MIDAS satellites, one Atlas-Able launch, and a few more ICBM tests were conducted from LC-14 before it was completely turned over to NASA. LC-14 is most well known as the launch site for NASA's Mercury-Atlas 6 flight, which made Glenn the first American in orbit. It was also the launch site of the remaining three Mercury-Atlas flights and various unmanned Atlas launches. Later, it was the site for Atlas-Agena launches for the Agena Target Vehicles for Project Gemini. Following decommissioning and abandonment as an active launch site, LC-14 slowly fell into decay. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean created an ideal environment for corrosion of metal components, and the complex's red metal gantry structures were dismantled for safety reasons during the 1970s.
Launch Complex 15 (LC-15)
Titan I missile J-7 begins the first successful flight test of an operational Titan I ICBM on 10 August 1960 Photo Courtesy: USAF
Launch Complex 15 (LC-15) at Cape Canaveral Space 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. LC-15 is the southernmost of the four original Titan launch complexes on Missile Row. The last of ten Titan I launches from LC-15 occurred in September 1960. Following this, it was converted for use by the Titan II, which made the first of 16 flights from the complex in June 1962. The last launch from LC-15 occurred on 9 April 1964. Following the last launch, LC-15 remained active until its retirement from service. Much of the complex, including the tower, launch stand and erector was demolished in June 1967. The blockhouse, cable tunnel, and parts of the launch table and ramp were abandoned in place, and were all still standing until the demolition of the blockhouse in 2011.
Space Launch Complex 17A/17B
Thor missile test. Cape Canaveral, May 12, 1959. Photo Courtesy: USAF
Space Launch Complex 17- (SLC-17), previously designated Launch Complex 17 (LC-17), was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida used for Thor and Delta launch vehicles launches between 1958 and 2011. It was built in 1956 for use with the PGM-17 Thor missile, the first operational ballistic missile in the arsenal of the United States. More recently the launch complex has been used for vehicles in the Delta launch vehicle family, derived from the Thor missile, to launch probes to the Moon and planets, solar observatories and weather satellites. SLC-17 features two expendable launch vehicle (ELV) launch pads, 17A and 17B. The pads were operated by the 45th Space Wing and have supported more than 300 Department of Defense, NASA and commercial missile and rocket launches. Following the last military launch, in August 2009, SLC-17A was withdrawn from use, and LC-17B was transferred to NASA (SLC-17B) for two remaining launches. Pad 17A supported its first Thor missile launch on 3 August 1957, and Pad 17B supported its first Thor launch on 25 January 1957. The site was upgraded in the early 1960s to support a variety of more modern ELVs, which were derived from the basic Thor booster. The modern ELVs based on Thor came to be called the Delta family of launch vehicles. Thirty-five early Delta rocket missions were launched from Complex 17 between the beginning of 1960 and the end of 1965. At that time the complex was operated by the US Air Force. The US Air Force transferred Launch Complex 17A to NASA (SLC-17A) in 1965, but the site was returned to the US Air Force in 1988 to support the Delta II program. As Delta II launches continued over the next decades, Pad 17B was modified in 1997 to support a new, more powerful launch vehicle, the Delta III, which made its maiden flight from the complex on 26 August 1998. The launch ended in failure, as did a second launch the next year. After a third launch on 23 August 2000 placed a mass simulator into a lower than planned orbit, the program was abandoned. Among the major NASA missions launched from the complex were the Explorer and Pioneer space probes, all of the Orbiting Solar Observatories, the Solar Maximum Mission, biological satellites (Biosatellite program), the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), the TIROS and GOES meteorology satellites, and the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. On 10 September 2011, a Delta II 7920H-10C made the final launch from SLC-17B, carrying NASA's GRAIL spacecraft. All remaining Delta II launches were made from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. At 11:00 UTC (7:00 a.m. EDT) on 12 July 2018, both launch towers had been demolished via controlled demolition to make way for Moon Express to build and test its lunar lander.
Launch Complex 18 (LC-18)
Vanguard TV-3 on Launch Pad 18
Photo Courtesy: NASA
Launch Complex 18 (LC-18) is a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used by Viking, Vanguard, Thor and Scout rockets. The complex consists of two launch pads, LC-18A, which was originally built by the US Navy for the Vanguard rocket, and LC-18B, which was originally by the US Air Force used for tests of the PGM-17 Thor missile. The first launch from LC-18 was a Viking rocket from LC-18A on 8 December 1956, on a test flight for Project Vanguard. A further Viking launch was conducted in May 1957, and the Vanguard made its maiden flight from the complex in September. Following this, the United States first satellite launch attempt was made from LC-18A, using Vanguard TV3, on 6 December 1957. The launch failed after the rocket lost thrust and exploded on the launch pad. All twelve Vanguard launches were conducted from LC-18A, with the complex being transferred to NASA after it took over responsibility for Vanguard following its formation in 1958. After the Vanguard's retirement in 1959, LC-18A was transferred to the US Air Force for use by Scout rockets. LC-18B was used for 17 tests of Thor missiles between 4 June 1958 and 29 February 1960. Following this, it was also converted for use by Scout rockets. Sixteen Scouts were launched from LC-18; ten from LC-18A and six from LC-18B. Fifteen of the launches were suborbital sounding flights, and one was an orbital launch with the Mercury-Scout 1 satellite for NASA. This failed to reach orbit and was destroyed by range safety 43 seconds after launch. The launches from LC-18A used the Blue Scout Junior configuration, and were conducted between 21 September 1960 and 9 June 1965. The launches from LC-18B consisted of three Blue Scout I rockets and three Blue Scout IIs, launched between 7 January 1961 and 12 April 1967.
Launch Complex 19 (LC-19)
Photo montage of the launch of the Titan rocket- Gus Grissom and John Young- during liftoff, March 23, 1965. NASA: Ralph Morse
Launch Complex 19 (LC-19) is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida used by NASA to launch all of the Gemini crewed spaceflights. It was also used by uncrewed Titan I and Titan II missiles. LC-19 was in use from 1959 to 1966, during which time it saw 27 launches, 10 of which were crewed. The first flight from LC-19 was on August 14, 1959 and ended in a pad explosion, extensively damaging the facility, which took a few months to repair. The first successful launch from LC-19 was also a Titan I, on February 2, 1960. After being converted for the Titan II ICBM program in 1962, LC-19 was later designated for the Gemini flights. After the program concluded in December 1966, LC-19 was closed down. The Gemini white room from the top of the booster erector has been partially restored and is on display at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum located at Complex 26.
Photo Courtesy: Cape Rockets
Top: Launch Complexes 21 and 22
Below: Launch of a MACE Missile
Photo Courtesy: USGov-Military-Air Force
Launch Complex 21 (LC-21) and 22 (LC-22) at Cape Canaveral Space 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. Between 1959 and 1960, the complex was rebuilt for the MGM-13 Mace, with a second rail added, and a large concrete structure erected around the launch rails, earning the pad the nickname of "the hardsite". It shared a blockhouse with Launch Complex 22 which was also used for Bull Goose and Mace launches.
Launch Complex 25 (LC-25)
Polaris A1 On Launch Pad 25A
Photo Courtesy: Cliff Lethbridge
Launch Complex 25 (LC-25) was a four-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles Polaris, Poseidon and Trident from 1958–1979. Pads 25A and 25B were built in 1957. Pads 25C and 25D were added in May 1968 for the larger Poseidon. The blockhouse eventually served all four pads. It was extensively reinforced when the Poseidon pads, 25C and 25D, were added. Pad 25B was initially built with an underground launch mechanism known as a ship motion simulator to simulate the roll and pitch of a submarine. It was first used August 14, 1959 and was mothballed in October 1961. The launch complex was dismantled in 1979.
Launch Complex 26 (LC-26)
Launch Pad 26 Blockhouse
Launch Complex 26 (LC-26) :Ricis a deactivated launch site at Cape Canaveral Space 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. Jupiter IRBMs were launched from both pads. On February 1, 1958 (January 31 local time), the US Army Ballistic Missile Agency launched Explorer 1 from LC-26A. LC-26 is also the home of the Air Force Space and Missile Museum. Access to the museum at LC-26 as well as the adjoining LC-5 and LC-6 by the general public can be arranged through the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center "Cape Canaveral Early Space Tour".
Launch Complex 29 (LC-29)
Polaris A2 positioned on Pad 29
November 4, 1960
Photo Courtesy: Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum
Launch Complex 29 (LC-29) was a one-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched Polaris ballistic missiles from 1958–1980. It also launched Chevaline missiles, which were British Polaris A-3 missiles.[1] The complex was designed to contain two launch pads, 29A and 29B, but only 29A was built. The launch complex was dismantled in 1980.
Launch Complex 30A (LC-30)
Pershing Missile Launch
Photo: State Library and Archives of Florida
Launch Complex 30A (LC-30) is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Construction was completed in January 1960, and it served as a launch site for Pershing I missiles until 1963.
Launch Complex 31 (LC-31)
Remains of Challenger lowered into Silo 31B. Photo Courtesy: NASA
Launch Complex 31 (LC-31) is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space 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. These complexes were the first to feature dual launch pads, one of which was subterranean. LC-31 consisted of a blockhouse, static launch pad (31A) and missile silo (31B). The bee-hive-shaped blockhouse is 210 yards from the static pad and 330 yards from the silo. The Air Force launched four Minuteman missiles from 31A; and 35 from the silo, 31B, between February 1, 1960 and September 23, 1969. Pad 31A was used later by the U.S. Army to test launch twelve Pershing 1a missiles. Remains of Challenger lowered into silo at LC-31 The service tower has since been removed; the silo remains, and contains recovered debris from the Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle Challenger. In 2015, NASA opened the silo and removed several pieces of Challenger's debris, so they could be placed on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Launch Complex 32 (LC-32)
Blockhouse on Launch Pad 32
Photo Courtesy:Cliff Lethbridge
Launch Complex 32 (LC-32) is a former launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It was built in 1959 with LC-31 for the U.S. Air Force to conduct test launches of the first LGM-30 Minuteman missiles. These complexes were the first to feature dual launch pads, one of which was subterranean. LC 32 consisted of a blockhouse, static launch pad (32A) and missile silo (32B). The bee-hive-shaped blockhouse is 210 yards from the static pad and 330 yards from the silo. The Air Force launched 53 ballistic missiles from the silo of LC-32B between August 30, 1961 and December 14, 1970. There are no records of any launches from the LC-32A launch pad. The service tower has since been removed and silo filled in, although recovered debris from the space shuttle orbiter Challenger were buried in the silo as well as in the silo at Pad 31
Launch Complex 34 (LC-34)
Launch Pad 34 exterior, Blockhouse and Gantry.
Photo Courtesy:NASA
Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. LC-34 and its companion LC-37 to the north were used by NASA from 1961 through 1968 to launch Saturn I and IB rockets as part of the Apollo program. It was the site of the Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. The first crewed Apollo launch — Apollo 7 on October 11, 1968 — was the last time LC-34 was used.
Space Launch Complex 37
Flames and smoke billow out from under the Boeing Delta IV rocket at liftoff, carrying the GOES-N satellite. Liftoff from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was on time at 6:11 p.m. EDT. GOES-N is the latest in the Earth-monitoring series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites developed by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. By maintaining a stationary orbit, hovering over one position on the Earth's surface, GOES will be able to provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. Photo Courtesy: NASA
Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37), previously Launch Complex 37 (LC-37), is a launch complex on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Construction began in 1959 and the site was accepted by NASA to support the Saturn I program in 1963. The complex consists of two launch pads. LC-37A has never been used, but LC-37B launched uncrewed Saturn I flights (1964 to 1965) and was modified and launched Saturn IB flights (1966 to 1968), including the first (uncrewed) test of the Apollo Lunar Module in space (Apollo 5). It was deactivated in 1972. In 2001 it was modified as the launch site for Delta IV, a launch system operated by United Launch Alliance. The original layout of the launch complex featured one Mobile Service Structure which could be used to service or mate a rocket on either LC-37A or 37B, but not on both simultaneously. The Delta IV Mobile Service Tower is 330 ft (100 m) tall, and fitted to service all Delta IV configurations, including the Delta IV Heavy.
Launch Complex 43 (LC-43)
Black Brant 12 sounding rocket
Photo Courtesy: NASA
Launch Complex 43 (LC-43) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida was a launch complex used by American sounding rockets between 1962 and 1984. It supported 2,038 sounding rocket launches.[1] In 1984, sounding rocket launches moved to LC-47, and LC-43 was demolished to make way for Launch Complex 46, which was built near the site.[
Launch Complex 45 (LC-45)
XMIM-115A of the United States.
Launch Complex 45 (LC-45) is a former launch complex on Cape Canaveral Space Force Stationcreated to launch the Roland missile. However, it was never used prior to its destruction, and Launch Complex 46 is now in its location.
Notes on the Abandoned Launch Sites at the Cape
by Rick Boos
I spent years researching the Cape, collecting data, photos, visiting the pads and conducting many interviews for a book I was working on. At the same time, I was working on another book so I turned everything over to another guy who was working on a similar project in conjunction with Central State University in Florida. It was determined that it would be volumes of books since we were covering 33 pads. The books were a complete history of the Cape and we decided to co- author it together. Topics covered were pre-construction, construction, and modifications to the pads. Also covered routine damage after launches, catastrophic damage due to on pad failures, salt water erosion, the Capes ever changing weather, and pad demolition. In addition we were covering the Cape Canaveral lighthouse, wildlife, high technology vs nature, Indian burial grounds and so on. As you can see it was a very complex series of books and too big for any one person. I did my part and now it's up to the other two to do their share and get it published! I then proceeded to work on my other two books but got sidetracked helping others with their books......A total of 32 books, not to mention two major private investigations, and numerous TV documentaries as well as the Tom Hanks Earth To The Moon 12 part mini-series.
Sadly not much left of historic launch pads 3 and 4.....but memories!
Numerous water lines pumps thousands of gallons of water to cool the flame bucket during ignition and launch. This is one of many water lines that fed the water.......Note the rust.
The flame bucket at the end of the launch stand on pad 14 diverts the super hot heat and flame generated at launch away from the launch stand and is cooled by 30,000 gallons of water. This is what causes the exhaust cloud of steam you see at launch.
Color image of the holddowns and side of flame bucket taken years later.
Pad 19's crew level whiteroom as I saw it in the 80s and 90s. These were EXTREMELY hard to take as I was standing on the erectors backside wall or on the side of the staircase and or the side of the floor. You will note in various pictures the degree of erosion that took place over twenty years of my visits. Also, after I put my foot through the window a tree sprouted up through the cement and broken window. I was told it was saved and transplanted somewhere on the Cape! This picture is of the main entrance door that leads to the elevator.
Launch Complex #26 Gantry.......The pad 26 gantry is a sister to the pad 5 gantry that was used for our first two manned Suborbital flights. Both gantries utilized an elaborate railroad system to maneuver the gantry. Pad 5's gantry was dismantled and sold for scrap shortly after the flights of Shepard and Grissom, a big mistake! Pad 26's gantry still stands on pad 26 B at Cape Canaveral as a museum piece. It has the destinction of being the longest standing gantry at the Cape......60 years and counting! Pad 26 was the launch complex utilized for our first earth orbiting Satellite Explorer 1. Sadly the gantry sits on pad "B" and not pad "A" where Explorer 1 was launched! Many people who visit this site are often mistaken in their belief that pad "B" is where Explorer 1 was launched because the gantry is parked there. To the left of pad "B" is pad "A" an empty slab of concrete.
Launch Complex 26 at Cape Canaveral consists of two launch pads designed "A" and "B".Explorer 1 our first satellite was launched from historic pad A. Today the old original longest standing gantry sits permanently on pad B. This was the gantry that serviced Explorer 1 as they shared the same gantry. Housed within it is a rocket and most people are led to believe that pad B is where Explorer 1 was launched. Her sister pad A from which explorer 1 was actually launched for years had a Thor Able rocket displayed on it!!! How asinine!!!! Another case of historical inaccuracies!!!! The Thor Able was never launched from pad 26! See photos. To be historically accurate the gantry should have been moved to pad A years ago while it was still operable or in later years when it was restored! Pad A stands bare today and few if any people realize this was the historic pad from which Explorer 1 was actually launched!......Human stupidity amazes me!
Launch Complexs 1 and 2 were built to support Snark and Matador missiles in the early fifties on the tip of Cape Canaveral. Construction began on October 26th 1951 and was completed on the 15th of November 1952. The Air Force accepted the pads on November 30th 1953. The cost of the launch facility came in at $ 930,098. Each pad measured 100 feet by 200 feet and 8 inches thick and was constructed with reinforced concrete. The 2,172 square feet Blockhouse was situated 100 feet from both pads . Two underground tunnulways and equipment rooms ran from the Blockhouse to the pads. A total of 97 Snark missiles and 286 Matador missiles were launched from this facilit, that's more launches then most Cape Canaveral launch complexes launched all together!!!! Launch Complex 1, and 2 were deactivated in 1962 and served as a staging area for amphibious rescue vehicles for Projects Mercury and Gemini. Between 1983 and 1989 the pad supported the teathered Aerostat Radar System for costal surveillance. In the mid 90's the pads were once again deactivated. Such a rich history for a couple of launch pads that have been long forgotten!!!!! By the way the shores off Cape Canaveral were known as "Snark infested Waters" because of all the Snarks that are buried on the oceans floor!
Launch Complex 3 and 4...... Complex 3 was covered last week so I won't dwell on it. A total of 77 launches occured there including Bumper 8 the first rocket to be launched from Cape Canaveral.Complexs 3 and 4 were a part of a four launch pad launch facility built on the tip of Cape Canaveral by the Air Force in the early 50's known as Complexes 1,2,3, and 4. While pads 1 and 2 hosted Snark and Matador,launches pads 3 and 4 hosted a wider variety of rockets and missiles including: Bumper, Lark, Bomarc, X-17, Redstone, RVA-10 Polaris, Matador and Jason. Record keeping wasn't the best in those days but as best as I can determine there was at least 183 launches from pads 3, and 4 with a possibility of more. Construction for pad 4 began on September 5th 2951 and the Air Force accepted the pad in 1952. The overall cost for complex 3 and 4 came in at $683,167.00. Pad three pad cost $$29,051.00, pad 4 cost $29,209. Underground tunnels and equipment rooms cost $97,257, and the new Blockhouse cost $115,204.00. Between 1955 and 1958 a special Bomarc building was constructed costing $226,196. The building was designed to house the Bomarc and had a roof that split in the middle to allow the Bomarc to launch. Like it's sister pads 1,2,and 3, pad 5 measured 100 feet by 200 feet with 8 inches of reinforced concrete. In August 1953 the Redstone gantry was erected on pad 4. It was built by the Noble Company in Oakland California. It stood 135 feet tall, 26 feet wide, 61 feet long, and weighed 308,000 pounds and moved on a set of railroad tracks. After pad 4 terminated Redstone rocket launchings the pad 4 launch ring was moved to pad 6, and the gantry was transported to pad 5 and used by Shepard and Grissom on their suborbital flights. At the time it was used at pad 4 it's decks were open and would latter be enclosed at pad 5 with an additional whiteroom. In 1959 the Bomarc launch facility building was converted into NASA's Delta program spin test facility.As previously mention pad 3 and 4 along with pads 1 and 2 were also untilized during Projects Mercury and Gemini as a staging area for amphibious rescue vehicles, a medical facility, and helicopter landing pad.
PLEASE READ!!!!!.....Being a historical National landmark Launch Complex 14 was sadly none the less allowed to deteriorate over the years by neglect. Nether the Air Force or NASA did a damn thing to preserve the launch facility since the last launch of Gemini 12's Atlas Agena on November 11th 1966. In fact they destroyed the pad in 1976 by toppling the Gantry and umbilical tower, blowing-off the end of the pad and stripping the pad down to the bare framework in the name of safety on the first of December 1976!!!!!! For 31 years the pad, though on the Historical Landmark listing, was allowed to decay in the salt water environment. Sadly it was only one facility of many that was allowed to deteriorate and fall victim to to NASA's and the Air Force neglect and eventual destruction due to lack of funding and interest. Mercury Control Center was another victim and was torn down because it needed roof repair!!!! So it was too for Hanger S which served as the original Manned Spacecraft Center and Crew Quarters for the Mercury astronauts. What makes matter worse is that NASA has allowed Delaware North to charge for admission to the Cape and control tours which are primarily centered to the Kennedy Space Center facilities and not so much the historic Cape Canaveral facilities. Unlike the United States Air Force Museum located in Dayton Ohio which is free, Delaware North charges $53.00 per adult plus $10 parking and $42.00 per child under age 11just for GENERAL ADMISSION with additional add ons for "enhanced tours" What a rip off paying to see what WE paid for with our tax paying dollars!!!!! To make matters worse Delaware North would not fork out money to put on a new roof to Mercury Control Center or do anything to preserve the abandoned launch pads or any other historic structures!!! In 1997 CIVILIAN VOLUNTEERS from the military, DOD, NASA, and DOD contractors stepped forward to do a partial restoration to Launch Complex 14. A special thanks goes out to Boeing, Johnson Controls, Lockheed Martin and Brown and Rott!!!! Pictured here is the entrance to pad 14 after cleanup.
Launch Complex 9/10.....Construction began in in 1953 for pad 9 the first of two launch complexes designed to accommodate the Navaho intercontinental missile at Cape Canaveral. It is situated at 28 degrees 27' 07" North by 80 degrees 33' 35" West on IRBM row. Pad 9 was oval shaped with a 115 foot radius supporting a two story 66 foot by 30 foot reinforced concrete launch stand and contained a water cooled flame bucket. The launch stand employed a laydown style erector that was hinged to the pad. One Blockhouse was employed for both pads. For pad 9 the Blockhouse was positioned 450 feet away ND for pad 10 it was 800 feet away. Pad 10 was located on a hexagonally shaped reinforced concrete pad that measured 200 feet by 250 feet where the Minuteman Missile launch complexes now stand. The pad employed a portable Navaho launch stand which was serviced by a 63 foot tall gantry that ran on rails. Pad 10's Construction was completed in 1956 and both pads were accepted by the Air Force on June 29, 1956. A total of 11 Navaho launches occured on pad 9 with 0 from pad 10. The Navaho program was terminated on July 13, 1957 after a dismal success rate but went onto to fly the remaining 6 flights to extract as much data as possible. As a result 15,000 North American employees lost their jobs. All 11 launces were officially classed as failures for various reasons. However the Navaho program was not a complete failure in that it's development provided usefully research in a number of fields. In particular, the booster design span off to NAS's new Rocketdyne subsidiary was used infectious versions of the Atlas ICBM, Redstone, Thor, Jupiter, and Juno series of rockets and was an ancestor of the mighty engines that powered the Saturn and Saturn 5. In addition the mounting concept was utilized on the Space Shuttle! The Navaho project officially ended in 1958 in favor of the Atlas ICBM program. Atlas could reach destinations much faster then Navaho is what it all boiled down to. Winged missiles were outdated long before they became operational by rockets. None the less it should be remembered that Navaho was directly responsible for the success of the all of the rockets and rocket engine development!!!! In that sense the program was a huge success. Given more time the Navaho program would have outgrown it's growing pains just as Atlas did! The unused complex 10 ( used only for static testing during Navaho) found a new life in 1958 when it became the launch site for the Alpho Draco and Jason rockets. Complex 10was destroyed in 1959 to make way for the Minuteman complexes of 31 and 32. In May of 1971 pad 9 was abandoned.
Of all the old abandoned launch pads I explored over the years Gemini pad 19 was my all time favorite. Rather then having a roll back gantry it employed a hydraulic lowered erector.
On April 31st 1949 a preliminary survey, clearing, staking, and partial clearing was done at the location now known as launch complex 3. In February 1950 extensive clearing was preformed and Construction commenced on pad 3. Durial Engineering Company was awarded, $258,000.00 for the concrete pad and for a paved 4.7 Mile road to the pad from what was then called A-1A. $80,000.00 was awarded to Ingram plumbing company for a fire fighting water system and water deluge system. Between May 1950 and June 1950 a wood framed 20 foot by 20 foot firing room or Blockhouse was constructed 400 feet from the pad. A series of underground tunnels and equipment rooms ran from the Blockhouse to the pad was created at a cost of $97,257. In June 1950 the concrete was poured to create the 100 foot by 100 foot 8 inch thick pad now known as pad 3. A total of 77 launches were fired from this pad which included Bumper, Bomarc, Polaris, and the X-17. Following these launches pad 3 was used for a medical support facility during Projects Mercury and Gemini and also served as a helicopter pad for both program. I will go into more detail on pad 3 and sister pads 1, 2, and 4 later.
Retro space images.....Atlas launch pads after a couple bad launch attempts
This is the first in a series of posts of my adventures at the old abandoned launch pads that the explored at Cape Canaveral for twenty some years both by ground and air. Today's launch pad is Atlas Complex 13. Today nothing remains standing even though on April 16th 1984 it was added to the United States National Register Of Historic Places. Some call it progress, I call it a shame!!!! Construction began on this pad in April 1956 and was completed and accepted by the Air Force on April 14th 1958 with the first launch occuring on August 2nd 1958. Cost $4,521,866.00. A total of 52 launches were attempted from this pad with a number of failures. The pad accommodated Atlas B, Atlas D, Atlas E, Atlas F, and Atlas Agena D rockets. Notable launches from this pad was the tragic I'll fated mission of monkey Goliath, the I'll fated Mariner 3 mission to Mars, and five Lunar Orbiter missions to the moon. Between 1962 and 1963 pad 13 was converted to an Atlas Agena D complex and required changing the umbilical tower and Gantry. Originally pad 13 utilized the classic A frame gantry as it's sister pads 11, 12, and 14 did. On those pads the gantry would roll back a few feet mount a transporter table and would traverse by rail near the ocean during launch operations. The new gantry was much larger and was rectangular shaped and rolled back on a new set of railroad tracks. Another new invention was the dry bucket system rather then the water flame bucket system. Additionally a huge slab of concrete was angled by the flame bucket to deflect the flame and exhaust sideways. After 52 launches the pad was deactivated on April 7th 1978. The Gantry was destroyed on Aug 6th 2005 and the blockhouse was demolished on June 20th 2012. In February 2015 the site was leased for 5 years by Space X as a landing platform for Falcon 9 first stages. Rick Boos 2017
This is the last photo taken of the launch complex 14 gantry and umbilical tower at the pad before demolition........I had John sign it for me as he was the first human to be launched from from here. John and Wally Schirra shared my dismay with the neglect to the launch complex. Wally told me that the last time he was there he cried!