List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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19 SLC-46
(Various)
(Various)
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Active pads
Repurposed pads, not used for launches
Inactive leased pads
Inactive unleased pads
List
Key
Denotes sites actively being used for launches
Denotes sites actively used for non-launch activities, such as landing
Denotes inactive sites planned with future use in mind
Denotes unused inactive sites
Denotes demolished, unbuilt, or never used sites
Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center, operated by NASA, has two launch complexes on Merritt Island comprising three pads—two active (with one under lease) and one inactive. From 1967 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 uses Launch Complex 39A to launch their launch vehicles.
| Site | Status | Tenant | Uses | Notable Launches | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Complex 39A | Active | SpaceX | Current: Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy Future: Starship Retired: Saturn V, Space Shuttle Cancelled: Ares V The launch site of all six crewed lunar landing missions of the Apollo Program. |
Apollo 4, Apollo 8, Apollo 11, Apollo 13, Apollo 17, Skylab, STS-1, STS-7, STS-71, STS-88, STS-107, STS-135, Falcon Heavy test flight, Crew Dragon Demo-2, Inspiration4, Psyche, Europa Clipper | 28°36′30.2″N 80°36′15.6″W |
| Launch Complex 39B | Active[1] | NASA[a] | Current: Space Launch System Retired: Saturn V, Saturn IB, Space Shuttle, Ares I-X Cancelled: Ares I, OmegA The launch site of the Challenger disaster. |
Apollo 10, Skylab 2, Skylab 3, Skylab 4, Apollo-Soyuz, STS-51L, STS-34, STS-31, STS-93, Artemis I, Artemis II | 28°37′38″N 80°37′15″W |
| Launch Complex 39C | Unbuilt | Located within LC-39B. It was intended to be used for small-lift launch vehicles and as a general multipurpose launch site.[2] Abandoned in 2016 in favor of building LC-48.[3] | 28°37′32.462″N 80°37′5.12″W | ||
| Launch Complex 48 | Inactive | LC-48 is designed as a "clean pad" (a reconfigurable facility with no permanent structures) to support various small-lift launch vehicles. It is awaiting its first customer. | 28°35′55″N 80°35′20.8″W | ||
| Launch Complex 49 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: Starship[4] Plans were suspended in 2024.[5] |
28°38′28″N 80°38′47″W | ||
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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 SFB 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 sites
| Site | Tenant | Uses | Notable Launches | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space Launch Complex 40 | SpaceX | Current: Falcon 9 Retired: Titan IIIC, Titan 34D, Commercial Titan III, Titan IV |
OPS 0855, ATS-6, Mars Observer, Cassini-Huygens, Dragon C2+, DSCOVR, TESS, Beresheet, Euclid, Hera, SpaceX Crew-9 | 28.562106°N 80.577180°W |
| Space Launch Complex 41 | United Launch Alliance | Current: Vulcan Centaur, Atlas V Retired: Titan IIIC, Titan IIIE, Titan IV |
OPS 6911, Helios 1 & 2, Voyager 1 & 2, Viking 1 & 2, New Horizons, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Juno, Mars Science Laboratory, Mars 2020, Lucy, Peregrine Mission One, Boeing Crew Flight Test | 28°35′00″N 80°34′59″W |
| Space Launch Complex 46 | Space Florida[b][6][7] | Current: Dark Eagle Future: Rocket 4/5[8] Retired: Trident II,[9] Athena II, Athena I, Minotaur IV,[10] Orion Abort Test Booster, Rocket 3 SLC-46 is a clean pad.[11] |
Lunar Prospector, Ascent Abort-2 | 28°27′30″N 80°31′42″W |
Repurposed sites
Sites leased for future use
Inactive, undeveloped, and previously used sites
| Site | Status | Uses | Notable Launches | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Complex A Launch Complex B Launch Complex C Launch Complex D |
Demolished | Retired: Matador LC-46 now sits on the site. |
||
| Launch Complex 1 | Inactive | Retired: Snark, Matador, Aerostat | 28°27′54″N 80°32′15″W | |
| Launch Complex 2 | Inactive | Retired: Snark, Matador, Aerostat | 28°27′56″N 80°32′13″W | |
| Launch Complex 3 | Inactive | Retired: Bumper-WAC, BOMARC, Polaris, X-17 | 28°27′57″N 80°32′13″W | |
| Launch Complex 4 | Inactive | Retired: BOMARC, Redstone, Matador, Jason, Draco | 28.466667°N 80.535669°W | |
| Launch Complex 4A | Inactive | Retired: BOMARC | ||
| Launch Complex 7 Launch Complex 8 |
Unbuilt | Would have joined LC-1/2/3/4. No assigned missile assigned to pad, though likely would launch missiles like Snark and Matador. Located at present site of Central Control Road.[29] | 28.463061°N 80.540208°W | |
| Launch Complex 9 | Inactive | Retired: Navaho | 28°27′07″N 80°33′35″W | |
| Launch Complex 10 | Demolished | Retired: Jason, Draco, Nike Tomahawk Demolished to make way for LC-31 and LC-32. |
28°27′07″N 80°33′25″W | |
| Launch Complex 15 | Inactive | Retired: Titan I, Titan II Cancelled: RS1[14] |
28.4963°N 80.5493°W | |
| Launch Complex 17A | Demolished | Retired: Thor, Thor-Able, Thor-Ablestar, Thor DSV-2, Delta I, Delta II | Pioneer 1, Explorer 6, OSO-1, Ariel 1, Mars Global Surveyor, Deep Space 1, Mars Climate Orbiter, Stardust, 2001 Mars Odyssey, Genesis, Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, Swift Observatory | 28°26′48″N 80°33′58″W |
| Launch Complex 17B | Demolished | Retired: Thor, Thor-Ablestar, Thor DSV-2, Delta I, Delta II, Delta III | Courier 1B, Telstar 1, Syncom 2, NEAR Shoemaker, Mars Pathfinder, WMAP, Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, Spitzer Space Telescope, MESSENGER, Deep Impact, Dawn, Kepler Space Telescope | |
| Launch Complex 18 | Inactive | Retired: Viking, Vanguard, Thor, Blue Scout Junior, Blue Scout | Vanguard TV-3, Vanguard 1, Vanguard 2, Vanguard 3, Mercury-Scout 1 | 28.4493°N 80.5623°W |
| Launch Complex 19 | Inactive | Retired: Titan I, Titan II GLV. The site of all ten crewed Titan II launches used for Project Gemini. |
Gemini 3, Gemini 4, Gemini 7, Gemini 6A, Gemini 8, Gemini 11, Gemini 12 | 28°30′24″N 80°33′15″W |
| Launch Complex 21 | Inactive | Retired: Goose, Mace | 28°27′38″N 80°32′24″W | |
| Launch Complex 22 | Inactive | Retired: Goose, Mace | 28.4610°N 80.5398°W | |
| Launch Complex 23 Launch Complex 24 |
Inactive | Retired: Triton, Snark Intended to have two pads and a single blockhouse, but only one pad was built and the blockhouse was never built. |
28.464551°N 80.537816°W | |
| Launch Complex 27 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: G-38 Navaho Intended to have two pads. The Navaho program was cancelled before construction began. Located adjacent to LC-31 and LC-32. |
28.451345°N 80.551200°W | |
| Launch Complex 28 | Unbuilt | No known launch vehicle or missile was assigned to LC-28. Intended to have two pads and a single blockhouse.[30] | 28.497930°N 80.549419°W | |
| Launch Complex 30A | Inactive | Retired: Pershing 1 | 28.43945°N 80.58061°W | |
| Launch Complex 30B | Inactive | Cancelled: Pershing 1 Pad has never been built. |
||
| Launch Complex 31 | Inactive | Retired: Minuteman, Pershing 1a Used as a burial vault for pieces of Space Shuttle Challenger. |
28°27′09″N 80°33′22″W | |
| Launch Complex 32 | Inactive | Retired: Minuteman | 28°27′09″N 80°33′22″W | |
| Launch Complex 33 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: Titan III X-20 Never built due to cancellation of the Dyna Soar program. SLC-37 now sits on the site. |
28.531986°N 80.566821°W | |
| Launch Complex 34 | Inactive | Retired: Saturn I, Saturn IB Site of the Apollo 1 fire. |
SA-1, AS-201, Apollo 7 | 28°31′19″N 80°33′41″W |
| Launch Complex 35 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: Navaho Not built due to the cancellation of the Navaho program. |
||
| Launch Complex 38 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Centaur[31] Proposed for several Atlas variants, never had any specific location selected. |
N/A | |
| Launch Complex 42 | Unbuilt | Cancelled: Titan IIIC Proposed as a third pad to the Integrate-Transfer-Launch Complex. Cancelled because it would have been too close to LC-39A. |
28°33′59″N 80°36′13″W | |
| Launch Complex 43 | Demolished | Retired: Super Loki Demolished to make way for SLC-46. |
28°27′30″N 80°31′42″W | |
| Launch Complex 44 | Demolished | Retired: Dragon[32] Demolished to make way for the submarine facility at Port Canaveral. |
28°25′02″N 80°35′45″W | |
| Launch Complex 45 | Demolished | Cancelled: Roland Construction plans scrapped before any missiles were launched. LC-46 now sits on the site. |
28°27′30″N 80°31′42″W | |
| Launch Complex 47 | Inactive | Retired: Sounding Rockets, Super Loki, Super Loki Lite Star, LOFT-1[33] | 28.549123°N 80.5674339°W | |
| Space Launch Complex 50 | Undeveloped | Cancelled: Starship Proposed as a second heavy-lift launch pad at the northern end of Cape Canaveral, joining SLC-37.[12] |
28.548838°N 80.576735°W | |
| Space Launch Complex 51 | Undeveloped | Proposed: Dark Eagle[34] | 28°26′16″N 80°33′49″W |
Other sites
| Site | Status | Uses | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Missile Range drop zone | Inactive | Retired: High Virgo, Bold Orion, Hound Dog, Skybolt | |
| Grand Turk Auxiliary AFB, Grand Turk Island drop zone | Inactive | Retired: Arcas (All-Purpose Rocket for Collecting Atmospheric Soundings) | |
| Mobile Launch Area | Inactive | Retired: Lark, Matador, Snark[35] | |
| Landing Zone 40 | Active | Current: Falcon 9 landings, Falcon Heavy landings | 28.563119°N 80.574331°W |
| Eastern SLBM Launch Area | Active | Current: Trident II Retired: Polaris, Poseidon, Trident |
|
| Shuttle Landing Facility (Launch and Landing Facility) |
Active | Current: X-37B landings Future: Dream Chaser landings Retired: Space Shuttle landings, Pegasus |
28.615°N 80.6945°W |
| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip | Active | Current: Pegasus XL Retired: Navaho, Pegasus |
28.468°N 80.567°W |
| Patrick Space Force Base | Inactive | Retired: Matador |
See also
Notes
- Also the owner of the pad.
- Acts as a middleman tenant. Subtenants include Astra Space.
- Subtenant; tenant is Space Florida. Eclipse will also be operated in conjunction with Northrop Grumman.
- Subtenant; tenant is Space Florida.