Summary
Cape Canaveral and adjacent Merritt Island on Florida's Atlantic coast are home to the USA's Eastern Range, the most active rocket range and spaceport in the country. The Eastern Range hosts two groundside operators: the military Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the civilian Kennedy Space Center. Between them are dozens of launch pads, with several currently in active service and more in planning for activation.
Kennedy Space CenterEdit
Kennedy Space Center, operated by NASA, has two launch complexes on Merritt Island comprising four pads—two active, one under lease, and one inactive. From 1968 to 1975, it was the site of 13 Saturn V launches, three crewed Skylab flights and the Apollo-Soyuz; all Space Shuttle flights from 1981 to 2011, and one Ares 1-X flight in 2009. Since 2017, SpaceX use Launch Complex 39A to launch their launch vehicles.
| Site | Status | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Complex 39A | Active Owned by NASA, Leased to SpaceX |
Current: Falcon Heavy, Falcon 9 Block 5 Future: SpaceX Starship Prior: Saturn V, Space Shuttle |
| Launch Complex 39B | Active[1] Owned by NASA |
Prior: Saturn V, Saturn IB (Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz), Space Shuttle Future: Space Launch System |
| Launch Complex 48 | Inactive Owned by NASA |
LC-48 is designed as a "clean pad" to support multiple launch systems with differing propellant needs. It is awaiting its first customer. |
| Launch Complex 49 (Planned)[2] | Planned Owned by NASA Requested for lease by SpaceX |
Planned launch use by SpaceX Starship |
Edit
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), operated by Space Launch Delta 45 of the U.S. Space Force, was the site of all U.S. crewed launches before Apollo 8, as well as many other early Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA launches. For the DoD, it plays a secondary role to Vandenberg AFB in California, but is the launch site for many NASA uncrewed space probes, as those spacecraft are typically launched on United States Space Force launchers. Much of the support activity for CCSFS occurs at Patrick Space Force Base to the south, its reporting base.
Active launch vehicles are in bold.
Active sitesEdit
| Site | Status | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Complex 13 (Landing Zone 1 and 2) |
Active - Leased to SpaceX | Current: Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy first stage landing site[3] Prior: Atlas, Atlas Agena |
| Space Launch Complex 37B | Active - Used by United Launch Alliance | Current: Delta IV Heavy Prior: Saturn I, Saturn IB, Delta IV Medium |
| Space Launch Complex 40 | Active - Leased to SpaceX | Current: Falcon 9 Block 5 Prior: Titan III, Titan IV, Falcon 9 v1.0, Falcon 9 1.1 |
| Space Launch Complex 41 | Active - Used by United Launch Alliance | Current: Atlas V Prior: Titan III, Titan IV Future: Vulcan |
| Launch Complex 47 | Active (has not been used for some time) | Current: Rocketsonde Sounding Rocket and Super Loki |
Sites leased for future useEdit
| Site | Status | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Complex 11 | Undergoing renovation - Leased to Blue Origin | Previous: Atlas Future: BE-4 test stand area for New Glenn To be part of larger site which includes LC-36A and LC-36B of Spaceport Florida. |
| Launch Complex 16 | Undergoing renovation - Leased to Relativity Space | Previous: Titan I, Titan II, Pershing 1a, Pershing II Future: Terran 1 |
| Launch Complex 20 | Inactive - Leased to Firefly Aerospace | Titan I, Titan III, Starbird, Prospector, Aries, LCLV, Super Loki Future: Alpha, Beta |
Spaceport FloridaEdit
As of 2008[update], Air Force Space Command committed to lease Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 36 to Space Florida for future use by the Athena III launch system.[4] It is not known if the plan was subsequently implemented.[needs update] Blue Origin leased Complex 36 in 2015, with plans to launch its reusable orbital vehicle from there by 2020 though as of early 2022 the launch is planned for the end of this year.[5]
| Site | Status | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Space Launch Complex 36A | Undergoing renovation Leased to Spaceport Florida, subleased to Blue Origin[5] |
Previous: Atlas/Centaur,[4]Atlas II[6] Future: New Glenn[5] |
| Space Launch Complex 36B | Undergoing renovation Leased to Spaceport Florida, subleased to Blue Origin[5] |
Previous: Atlas, Atlas II, Atlas III Future: New Glenn[5] |
| Space Launch Complex 46 | Active Leased to Spaceport Florida, subleased to Astra[7][8] |
Previous: Athena, Trident II,[9] Minotaur IV[10] Present: Rocket 3/4/5[11] |
Inactive and previously used sitesEdit
OtherEdit
| Site | Status | Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Missile Range drop zone | Inactive | High Virgo, Bold Orion, Hound Dog, Skybolt |
| Grand Turk Auxiliary AFB, Grand Turk Island drop zone | Inactive | Arcas (All-Purpose Rocket for Collecting Atmospheric Soundings) |
| Mobile Launch Area | Inactive | Lark, Matador, Snark[13] |
| Eastern SLBM Launch Area | Active | Polaris, Poseidon, Trident |
| Shuttle Landing Facility | Active | Pegasus, X-37B |
| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip | Active | Navaho, Pegasus, Pegasus XL |
| Patrick SFB | Inactive | Matador |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Bergeron, Julia (13 July 2018). "The most recent version of the CCAFS map (Nov 2017) has made it into our history center for reference. It exciting to see the Commercial Partner landmarks mixed in with space history.pic.twitter.com/ChVhnEl1AY". Twitter.
- ^ "SpaceX wants NASA's LC-49 for Starship Super Heavy launches". spaceexplored.com.
- ^ Gruss, Mike. "SpaceX Leases Florida Launch Pad for Falcon Landings". Spacenews. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ a b Craig Covault (27 October 2008). "Boeing Joins Commercial Athena III Program". Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Coming to the Space Coast". Blue Origin. 15 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ Atkinson, Ian (11 September 2019). "Blue Origin continuing work on New Glenn launch complex, support facilities". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Messier, Doug (11 February 2014). "ATK to Upgrade Space Florida's Launch Complex 46". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ Wall, Mike (26 August 2017). "Converted Missile Launches Military Satellite to Track Spacecraft and Debris". Space.com. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ "Complex 46". robsv.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- ^ "U.S. Air Force's ORS-5 Satellite To Launch on Minotaur 4". SpaceNews. 9 July 2015.
- ^ "Astra Announces Launch for Nasa from Cape Canaveral in January". 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Launch Complex 29". Air Force Space and Missile Museum. Archived from the original on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
- ^ "HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD, CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, LAUNCH COMPLEX 34 OPERATIONS SUPPORT BUILDING" (PDF). National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
External linksEdit
- Encyclopedia Astronautica entry
- Google Earth Merritt Island Tour