View source for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

{{short description|Military rocket launch site in Florida}}
{{Redirect2|CCAFS|CCSFS|Cape Cod|Cape Cod Space Force Station}}
{{Distinguish|Kennedy Space Center}}
<!--Update: SLC-17 has been deactivated, SLC-40 is in use for Falcon, status of SLC-46 and 47 needs updating.-->
{{Use American English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
| ensign = 
| ensign_size =
| native_name = 
| partof = [[Patrick Space Force Base]]
| location = 
| nearest_town = [[Cocoa Beach, Florida]]
| country = the [[United States]]
| image =
| alt =
| caption = 
| image2 = [[File:Space Launch Delta 45 emblem.png|100px]]
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = Emblem of [[Space Launch Delta 45]]
| type = [[U.S. Space Force]] Station
| coordinates = {{coord|28|29|20|N|80|34|40|W|display=it}}
| gridref = 
| image_map = 
| image_mapsize = 
| image_map_alt = 
| image_map_caption = 
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_mapsize = 
| pushpin_map_alt = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| pushpin_relief = 
| pushpin_image = 
| pushpin_label = Cape Canaveral SFS
| pushpin_label_position = top
| pushpin_mark = 
| pushpin_marksize = 
| ownership = [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]
| operator = [[United States Space Force]]
| controlledby = [[Space Launch Delta 45]]
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = {{convert|1325|acre|km2|0}}<ref name="nris" />
| code = <!--facility/installation code, applies to US -->
| built = {{Start date|1949}} (as the Joint Long Range Proving Ground)
| used = 1949 – present <!--{{End date|1946}} -->
| builder = 
| materials = 
| height = <!-- height of tallest part, not above sea level -->
| length = <!-- for border fences or other DMZs -->
| fate = <!--changed from demolished parameter-->
| condition = Operational
| battles = 
| events = 
| current_commander = <!-- current commander -->
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = [[Space Launch Delta 45]]
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/}}
<!-- begin airfield information  -->
| IATA = 
| ICAO = KXMR
| FAA = XMR
| TC = 
| LID = 
| GPS = 
| WMO = 
| elevation = {{Convert|3|m|0}}
| r1-number = 13/31
| r1-length = {{Convert|3048 |m|0}}
| r1-surface = 
| h1-number = 
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface = 
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!--  end airfield information   -->
| footnotes = '''Source:''' [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/1910/05157ad.pdf#nameddest=(XMR) |title=Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip (KXMR) |date=September 12, 2019 |website=Federal Aviation Administration|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919064215/https://aeronav.faa.gov/d-tpp/1910/05157AD.PDF#nameddest=(XMR)|archive-date=September 19, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed                = yes
| nrhp_type            = nhld
| nocat                = yes
| caption              =
| location             = [[Cape Canaveral]], Florida, United States
| coordinates          =
| area                 =
| built                = 1950+<ref name="fhtic">{{Cite web |url=http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=74&type=c&index=5 |title=Cape Canaveral Air Force Station |date=September 23, 2007 |work=Florida Heritage Tourism Interactive Catalog |publisher=Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214025642/http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/fht/record_t.cfm?ID=74&type=c&index=5 |archive-date=December 14, 2007}}</ref>
| architect            =
| architecture         =
| designated_nrhp_type = April 16, 1984<ref name=nhl>[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1885&ResourceType=District Cape Canaveral Air Force Station] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113235009/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1885&ResourceType=District |date=January 13, 2009 }} at [https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1582/index.htm National Historic Landmarks Program].</ref>
| added                = April 16, 1984
| refnum               = 84003872<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a|refnum=84003872}}</ref>
| visitation_num       = Not open to the public
| visitation_year      = 
}}
|image_size=280}}
{{United States space program sidebar}}

'''Cape Canaveral Space Force Station''' ('''CCSFS''') is an installation of the [[United States Space Force]]'s [[Space Launch Delta 45]], located on [[Cape Canaveral]] in [[Brevard County, Florida]].

Headquartered at the nearby [[Patrick Space Force Base]], the station is the primary launch site for the Space Force's [[Eastern Range]]<ref name="CAST_p1-12">CAST 1999, p. 1-12.</ref> with four [[launch pad]]s currently active (Space Launch Complexes [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36|36]], [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|40]], [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41|41]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 46|46]]). The facility is south-southeast of [[NASA]]'s [[John F. Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy Space Center]] on adjacent [[Merritt Island]], with the two linked by bridges and causeways. The Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip provides a {{convert|10000|ft|m|adj=on}} runway<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=US75885 |title=World Aero Data: Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip – XMR|access-date=August 31, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004231921/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?id=US75885|archive-date=October 4, 2012|url-status=usurped}}</ref> close to the launch complexes for military airlift aircraft delivering heavy and outsized payloads to the Cape.

A number of American space exploration pioneers were launched from CCSFS, including [[Explorer 1|the first U.S. Earth satellite]] (1958), [[Mercury-Redstone 3|first U.S. astronaut]] (1961), [[Mercury-Atlas 6|first U.S. astronaut in orbit]] (1962), [[Gemini 3|first two-man U.S. spacecraft]] (1965), [[Surveyor 1|first U.S. uncrewed lunar landing]] (1966), and [[Apollo 7|first three-man U.S. spacecraft]] (1968). It was also the launch site for all of the first spacecraft to (separately) [[planetary flyby|fly past each of the planets]] in the Solar System (1962–1977), the [[Mariner 9|first spacecraft to orbit Mars]] (1971) and [[Mars Pathfinder|roam its surface]] (1996), the first [[Pioneer Venus project|American spacecraft to orbit and land on Venus]] (1978), the [[Cassini–Huygens|first spacecraft to orbit Saturn]] (2004), and [[MESSENGER|to orbit Mercury]] (2011), and [[Voyager 1|the first spacecraft to leave the Solar System]] (1977).  Portions of the base have been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] for their association with the early years of the American space program.<ref name="nhl2">{{cite web |url={{NHLS url|84003872}}|title=NHL nomination for Cape Canaverl Air Force Station|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref>

Cape Canaveral was known as '''Cape Canaveral Launch Area''' upon its foundation in 1949, but renamed to '''LRPG Launching Area''' in 1950. It was known as '''Cape Canaveral Auxiliary Air Force Base''' from 1951 to 1955, and '''Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex''' from 1955 to 1964. The facility was known as '''Cape Kennedy Air Force Station''' from 1964 to 1974, and as '''Cape Canaveral Air Force Station''' from 1974 to 1994 and from 2000 to 2020, taking the designation '''Cape Canaveral Air Station''' from 1994 to 2000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lethbridge |first1=Cliff |title=Cape Canaveral Name Changes |url=https://www.spaceline.org/history-cape-canaveral/cape-canaveral-name-changes/ |access-date=September 25, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/Portals/14/documents/History/SLD%2045%20Heritage%20Book%202022.pdf |title=ASSURED ACCESS TO SPACE: The Heritage of the Eastern Range from World War II to the Present |website=Patrick SFB |publisher=Space Launch Delta 45 History Office |date=May 31, 2022 |page=6 |access-date=November 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{HAER |survey=FL-8-5 |id=fl0457 |title=Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard, FL}}</ref> The facility was renamed "Cape Canaveral Space Force Station" in December 2020.<ref name="ft20201209">{{cite news |last=Joy |first=Rachael |date=December 9, 2020 |title=Vice President Pence announces official name change of Patrick Space Force Base |work=[[Florida Today]] |url=https://eu.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2020/12/09/vice-president-pence-announces-official-name-change-patrick-space-force-base/6506564002|access-date=December 10, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Dunn">{{cite web |last=Dunn |first=Marcia |date=March 26, 2020 |title=Space Force launches its first mission with virus precautions |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/space-force-launches-its-first-mission-with-virus-precautions/|access-date=May 14, 2020 |work=CTV News}}</ref>

== History ==
The CCSFS area had been used by the United States government to test missiles since 1949, when President [[Harry S. Truman]] established the '''Joint Long Range Proving Ground''' at Cape Canaveral.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/?id=4514 |title=Factsheets : Evolution of the 45th Space Wing|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613181155/http://www.patrick.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4514|archive-date=June 13, 2011}}</ref> 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 is closer to the [[equator]] than most other parts of the United States, allowing rockets to get a boost from the Earth's rotation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rowan |first1=Karen |title=Why Are Rockets Launched from Florida? |website=[[Space.com]] |url=https://www.space.com/8811-rockets-launched-florida.html |access-date=April 27, 2022 |date=July 23, 2010}}</ref>

=== Air Force Proving Ground ===
[[File:Bumper8 launch-GPN-2000-000613.jpg|thumb|upright=1.13|left|A [[RTV-G-4 Bumper|Bumper V-2]] was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral, on July 24, 1950.]]

On June 1, 1948, the [[United States Navy]] transferred the former [[Banana River Naval Air Station|Naval Air Station Banana River]] to the [[United States Air Force]], with the Air Force 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 Major General [[Mason Patrick]] of the [[U.S. Army Air Corps]].<ref name="CAST_p1-5">CAST 1999, p. 1-5.</ref> In 1951, the Air Force established the [[Eastern Test Range|Air Force Missile Test Center]].<ref name=fs-evo-45th>{{cite web |url=https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/?id=4514 |title=Fact Sheet: Evolution of the 45th Space Wing |publisher=U.S. Air Force |date=August 29, 2006|access-date=June 2, 2008|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613181155/http://www.patrick.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4514|archive-date=June 13, 2011}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Early American [[sub-orbital]] rocket flights were achieved at Cape Canaveral in 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/sites/capallc5.htm |title=Cape Canaveral LC5|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414180519/http://www.astronautix.com/sites/capallc5.htm|archive-date=April 14, 2009}}</ref> These flights occurred shortly after sub-orbital flights launched from [[White Sands Missile Range]], such as the [[Viking (rocket)|Viking 12 sounding rocket]] on February 4, 1955.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/viking.htm |title=Viking|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221104441/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/viking.htm|archive-date=February 21, 2007}}</ref>

Following the Soviet Union's successful [[Sputnik 1]] (launched on October 4, 1957), the United States attempted its first launch of an artificial satellite from Cape Canaveral on December 6, 1957. However, the rocket carrying [[Vanguard TV-3]] exploded on the launch pad.<ref>{{cite news |author=Milton Bracker |date=December 7, 1957 |title=Vanguard rocket burns on beach; failure to launch test satellite assailed as blow to U.S. prestige |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|114053516}}}}</ref>

[[NASA]] was founded in 1958, and Air Force crews launched missiles for NASA from the Cape, known then as Cape Canaveral Missile Annex. [[PGM-11 Redstone|Redstone]], [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter]], [[Pershing 1]], [[Pershing 1a]], [[Pershing II]], [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]], [[Thor (rocket family)|Thor]], [[Atlas (rocket family)|Atlas]], [[Titan (rocket family)|Titan]] and [[LGM-30 Minuteman|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, [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 19|19]], 20) and Atlas (LC-11, 12, 13, [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14|14]]) launch pads along the coast came to be known as [[Missile Row]] in the 1960s.

=== Project Mercury ===
{{Main|Project Mercury}}
[[File:Alan Shepard in Mercury Control Center.jpg|thumb|left|Alan Shepard watches Gus Grissom's ''[[Mercury-Redstone 4|Liberty Bell 7]]'' launch in the Mercury Control Center.]]
{{multiple image
| total_width=300
| image1=Mercury-Redstone 4 Launch cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|
| caption1=Mercury-Redstone
| image2=Mercury-Atlas 3 launch - cropped2.jpg|thumb|upright|
| caption2=Mercury-Atlas
}}

NASA's first crewed spaceflight program was prepared for launch from Canaveral by U.S. Air Force crews. Mercury's objectives were to place a crewed spacecraft into Earth's orbit, investigate human performance and ability to function in space, and safely recover the astronaut and spacecraft. [[Sub-orbital spaceflight|Suborbital flights]] were launched by [[Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle|derivatives of the Army's Redstone missile]] from [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 5|LC-5]]; two such flights were manned by [[Alan Shepard]] on May 5, 1961, and [[Gus Grissom]] on July 21. Orbital flights were launched by [[Atlas LV-3B|derivatives of the Air Force's larger Atlas D missile]] from [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14|LC-14]]. The first American in orbit was [[John Glenn]] on February 20, 1962. Three more orbital flights followed through May 1963.

[[Flight controller|Flight control]] for all Mercury missions was provided at the [[Mercury Control Center]] located at Canaveral near LC-14.

=== Name changes ===
On November 29, 1963, following the death of President [[John F. Kennedy]], his successor, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], issued [[s:Executive Order 11129|Executive Order 11129]] renaming both NASA's [[Kennedy Space Center|Merritt Island Launch Operations Center]] and "the facilities of Station No. 1 of the Atlantic Missile Range" (a reference to the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex) as the "John F. Kennedy Space Center". He had also convinced then-Florida Governor [[C. Farris Bryant]] (D-Florida) to change the name of [[Cape Canaveral]] to ''Cape Kennedy.''  This resulted in some confusion in public perception, which [[conflation|conflated]] the two. [[List of administrators and deputy administrators of NASA|NASA Administrator]] [[James E. Webb]] clarified this by issuing a directive stating the ''Kennedy Space Center'' name applied only to Merritt Island, while the Air Force issued a general order renaming the Air Force launch site ''Cape Kennedy Air Force Station''.<ref name="Moonport_appendixb">{{cite book |last1=Benson |first1=Charles D. |last2=Faherty |first2=William B. |title=Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations |publisher=NASA |series=History Series |volume=SP-4204 |date=August 1977 |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/contents.html |chapter=Chapter 7: The Launch Directorate Becomes an Operational Center – Kennedy's Last Visit|chapter-url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/ch7-7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041106133417/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4204/ch7-7.html|archive-date=November 6, 2004}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> This name was used through the [[Project Gemini]] and early [[Apollo program]].

However, the geographical name change proved to be unpopular, owing to the historical longevity of Cape Canaveral (one of the oldest place-names in the United States, dating to the early 1500s). In 1973 and 1974 respectively, both the geographical and the Air Force Station Cape names were reverted to Canaveral after the [[Florida legislature]] passed a bill changing the name back that was signed into law by Florida governor [[Reubin Askew]] (D-Fla.).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spaceline.org/capehistory/3a.html |title=History of Cape Canaveral 1959–Present|access-date=August 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829045427/http://www.spaceline.org/capehistory/3a.html|archive-date=August 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:304993 |title=GNIS Detail – Cape Canaveral |website=geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=March 7, 2018}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

On August 7, 2020, U.S. military contracts referred to the installation as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/2305454/ |title=Contracts for August 7, 2020|access-date=September 16, 2020 |website=U.S. Department of Defense}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> The installation was formally renamed on December 9, 2020.<ref name=ft20201209 />

=== Gemini and early Apollo ===
{{Main|Project Gemini|Apollo program}}
[[File:Gemini-Titan 11 Launch - GPN-2000-001020.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Gemini-Titan II]]
[[File:Atlas-Agena 6 Launch.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|[[Atlas-Agena]] target vehicle]]
[[File:Werner Von Braun and President John F. Kennedy at Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex - 1963 - 63PC-0095.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|[[Wernher von Braun]] explains the Saturn system to [[President Kennedy]] during his tour at the Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex on November 16, 1963.]]

The two-man Gemini spacecraft was launched into orbit by a [[Titan II GLV|derivative]] of the [[LGM-25C Titan II|Air Force Titan II missile]]. Twelve Gemini flights were launched from [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 19|LC-19]], ten of which were crewed. The first crewed flight, [[Gemini 3]], took place on March 23, 1965. Later Gemini flights were supported by seven uncrewed launches of the [[Agena target vehicle]] on the [[Atlas-Agena]] from [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14|LC-14]], to develop [[space rendezvous|rendezvous]] and [[docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking]], critical for Apollo. Two of the Atlas-Agena vehicles failed to reach orbit on [[Gemini 6]] and Gemini 9, and a mis-rigging of the nosecone on a third caused it to fail to eject in orbit, preventing docking on [[Gemini 9A]]. The final flight, [[Gemini 12]], launched on November 11, 1966.

The capabilities of the Mercury Control Center were inadequate for the flight control needs of Gemini and Apollo, so NASA built an improved [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center|Mission Control Center]] in 1963, which it decided to locate at the newly built [[Johnson Space Center|Manned Spacecraft Center]] in Houston, Texas, rather than at Canaveral or at the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]] in Maryland.<ref>{{cite book |pages=85–86 |last=Dethloff |first=Henry C. |title=Suddenly Tomorrow Came... A History of the Johnson Space Center |publisher=NASA |year=1993|author-link=Henry C. Dethloff |chapter=Chapter 5: Gemini: On Managing Spaceflight |isbn=978-1-5027-5358-8|chapter-url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/suddenly_tomorrow/suddenly}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

[[File:Apollo 7 Launch - GPN-2000-001171.jpg|thumb|upright|Apollo-Saturn IB]]

The Apollo program's goal of landing a man on the Moon required development of the [[Saturn (rocket family)|Saturn family]] of rockets. The large [[Saturn V]] rocket necessary to take men to the Moon required a larger launch facility than Cape Canaveral could provide, so NASA built the [[Kennedy Space Center]] located west and north of Canaveral on Merritt Island. But the earlier [[Saturn I]] and [[Saturn IB|IB]] could be launched from the Cape's [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34|Launch Complexes 34]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37|37]]. The first four Saturn I development launches were made from LC-34 between October 27, 1961, and March 28, 1963. These were followed by the final test launch and five operational launches from LC-37 between January 29, 1964, and July 30, 1965.

The Saturn IB uprated the capability of the Saturn I, so that it could be used for Earth orbital tests of the Apollo spacecraft. Two uncrewed test launches of the [[Apollo command and service module]] (CSM), [[AS-201]] and [[AS-202]], were made from LC-34, and an uncrewed flight ([[AS-203]]) to test the behavior of upper stage [[liquid hydrogen]] fuel in orbit from LC-37, between February 26 and August 25, 1966. The first crewed CSM flight, AS-204 or [[Apollo 1]], was planned to launch from LC-34 on February 21, 1967, but the entire crew of [[Gus Grissom]], [[Ed White (astronaut)|Ed White]] and [[Roger B. Chaffee|Roger Chaffee]] were killed in a cabin fire during a spacecraft test on pad 34 on January 27, 1967. The AS-204 rocket was used to launch the uncrewed, Earth orbital first test flight of the [[Apollo Lunar Module]], [[Apollo 5]], from LC-37 on January 22, 1968. After significant safety improvements were made to the Command Module, [[Apollo 7]] was launched from LC-34 to fulfill Apollo 1's mission, using Saturn IB AS-205 on October 11, 1968.

In 1972, NASA deactivated both LC-34 and LC-37. It briefly considered reactivating both for [[Apollo Applications Program]] launches after the end of Apollo, but instead modified the Kennedy Space Center launch complex to handle the Saturn IB for the [[Skylab]] and [[Apollo–Soyuz]] test project launches. The LC-34 service structure and umbilical tower were razed, leaving only the concrete launch pedestal as a monument to the Apollo 1 crew. In 2001, LC-37 was recommissioned and converted to service [[Delta IV]] launch vehicles.

=== Subsequent activity ===
The Air Force chose to expand the capabilities of the Titan launch vehicles for its heavy lift capabilities. The Air Force constructed Launch Complexes [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|40]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41|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.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

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 crewed space projects from the [[Integrate-Transfer-Launch Complex]] pads of LC-40 and 41. They were the [[Dyna-Soar]], a crewed orbital rocket plane (canceled in 1963) and the USAF [[Manned Orbital Laboratory]] (MOL), a crewed reconnaissance space station (canceled in 1969).{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

From 1974 to 1977 the powerful Titan-Centaur became the new heavy lift vehicle for NASA, launching the [[Viking program|Viking]] and [[Voyager program|Voyager]] series of spacecraft from Launch Complex 41. Complex 41 later became the launch site for the most powerful uncrewed U.S. rocket, the [[Titan IV]], developed by the Air Force.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

With increased use of a [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|leased launch pad]] by [[private spaceflight|private]] company [[SpaceX]], the Air Force launch support operations at the Cape planned for 21 launches in 2014, a fifty percent increase over the 2013 launch rate. SpaceX had reservations for a total of ten of those launches in 2014, with an option for an eleventh.<ref name=sn20140115>{{cite news |last=Klotz |first=Irene |title=SpaceX Drives Sharp Increase in Projected Launches at Cape |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/39110spacex-drives-sharp-increase-in-projected-launches-at-cape |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140121170242/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/39110spacex-drives-sharp-increase-in-projected-launches-at-cape |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 21, 2014 |access-date=January 21, 2014 |publisher=SpaceNews |date=January 15, 2014}}</ref>

== Uncrewed launches at Cape Canaveral ==
[[File:Pioneer I on the Launch Pad - GPN-2002-000204.jpg|thumb|upright|Pioneer 1 atop its launcher]]

The first United States satellite launch, [[Explorer 1]], was made by the [[Army Ballistic Missile Agency]] on February 1, 1958 (UTC) from Canaveral's [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 26|LC-26A]]  using a [[Juno I]] RS-29 missile. NASA's first launch, [[Pioneer 1]], came on October 11 of the same year from [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17|LC-17A]] using a [[Thor (rocket family)|Thor]]-Able rocket.

Besides Project Gemini, the [[Atlas-Agena]] launch complexes [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 12|LC-12]] and [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 13|LC-13]] were used during the 1960s for the uncrewed [[Ranger program|Ranger]] and [[Lunar Orbiter program]]s and the first five [[Mariner program|Mariner]] interplanetary probes. The [[Atlas-Centaur]] launch complex [[Cape Canaveral  Launch Complex 36|LC-36]] was used for the 1960s [[Surveyor program|Surveyor]] uncrewed lunar landing program and the last five Mariner probes through 1973.

NASA has also launched communications and weather satellites from the [[Integrate-Transfer-Launch Complex|ITL]] at Launch Complexes [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|40]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41|41]], built at the north end of the Cape in 1964 by the Air Force for its [[Titan IIIC]] and [[Titan IV]] rockets. From 1974 to 1977 the powerful [[Titan IIIE]] served as the heavy-lift vehicle for NASA, launching the [[Viking program|Viking]] and [[Voyager program|Voyager]] series of planetary spacecraft from LC-41 and the ''[[Cassini–Huygens]]'' Saturn probe from LC-40.

Three Cape Canaveral pads are currently operated by private industry for military and civilian launches: [[SLC-41]] for [[United Launch Alliance]]'s [[Atlas V]] and [[Vulcan Centaur]]; [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36|LC-36]] for [[Blue Origin]]'s [[New Glenn]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|SLC-40]] for the [[SpaceX]] [[Falcon 9]].

=== Boeing X-37B ===
 
The [[Boeing X-37B]], a reusable uncrewed spacecraft operated by [[United States Space Force|USSF]], which is also known as the '''Orbital Test Vehicle''' ('''OTV'''), has been successfully launched four times from Cape Canaveral.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/104539/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle/ |title=Fact Sheet Display |website=www.af.mil|access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref>  The first four X-37B missions have been launched with [[Atlas V]] rockets.  Past launch dates for the X-37B [[spaceplane]] include April 22, 2010, March 5, 2011, December 11, 2012, and May 20, 2015.  The fourth X-37B mission landed at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] on May 7, 2017, after 718 days in orbit.  The first three X-37B missions all made successful autonomous landings from space to a {{convert|15,000|foot}} runway located at [[Vandenberg Space Force Base]] in California which was originally designed for [[Space Shuttle]] return from orbit operations.

== Operations, infrastructure and facilities ==
<imagemap>
File:Canaveral.png|thumb|300px|Cape Canaveral Space Force Station; click on a label to read more about it.
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rect 435 263 567 321 [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 48]]
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rect 134 1156 272 1181 [[#Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip]]
poly 402 1189 600 1336 586 1352 391 1199 [[#Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip]]
</imagemap>
Of the launch complexes built since 1950, several have been leased and modified for use by private aerospace companies. Launch Complex [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17|SLC-17]] was used for the [[Delta II]] Heavy variant, through 2011.<ref name="CAST_p1-26">CAST 1999, p. 1-26.</ref> Launch Complexes [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37|SLC-37]] and [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41|SLC-41]] were modified to launch [[Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle|EELV]] [[Delta IV rocket|Delta IV]] and [[Atlas V rocket|Atlas V]] launch vehicles, respectively.<ref name="CAST_p1-31">CAST 1999, p. 1-31.</ref>  These launch vehicles replaced all earlier Delta, Atlas, and Titan rockets. Launch Complex [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 47|SLC-47]] is used to launch weather sounding rockets. Launch Complex [[Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 46|SLC-46]] is reserved for use by [[Space Florida]].<ref name="CAST_p1-35">CAST 1999, p. 1-35.</ref>

[[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40|SLC-40]] [[Falcon 9 Flight 1|hosted the first launch]] of the [[SpaceX]] [[Falcon 9]] in June 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.spacex.com/updates.php |title=Dragon/ Falcon 9 Update |publisher=SpaceX |date=October 23, 2009|access-date=November 10, 2009 |author=SpaceX Corp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405145315/http://www.spacex.com/updates.php|archive-date=April 5, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> Falcon 9 launches continued from this complex through 2015, consisting of uncrewed [[Commercial Resupply Services]] missions for NASA to the [[International Space Station]] as well as commercial satellite flights. On September 30th, 2024, SpaceX launched the [[SpaceX Crew-9|first crewed flight from SLC-40]]. SpaceX has also leased [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|Launch Complex 39A]] from NASA and has completed modifying it to accommodate [[Falcon Heavy]] and [[Commercial Crew Development|Commercial Crew crewed spaceflights]] to the ISS with their [[SpaceX Dragon 2|Crew Dragon]] spacecraft in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bergin |first1=Chris |title=Falcon Heavy into production as Pad 39A HIF rises out of the ground |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/02/falcon-heavy-production-39a-hif-rises/ |website=NASASpaceFlight|access-date=February 19, 2015 |date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> SpaceX [[Landing Zone 1]] and 2, used to land first stages of the Falcon 9 and the side boosters of the Falcon Heavy, are located at the site of the former [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 13|LC-13]].

On September 16, 2015, NASA announced that [[Blue Origin]] has leased Launch Complex 36 and will modify it as a launch site for their next-generation launch vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/science/space/jeff-bezos-rocket-company-to-build-and-launch-in-florida.html?_r=0 |title=Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' Rocket Company, to Launch from Florida |work=The New York Times |date=September 16, 2015|access-date=September 16, 2015 |author=Kenneth Chang}}</ref>{{update inline|date=March 2020}}

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 {{convert|908|mph|m/s||abbr=in|order=flip}} at Cape Canaveral, but {{convert|1035|mph|m/s||abbr=in|order=flip}} at the European [[Guiana Space Centre]] in French Guiana.<ref name=as20110801>{{cite web |title=Up, Up, and Away |url=http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/34/space2.html |work=The Universe: In the Classroom |publisher=Astro Society | access-date=August 11, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808040657/http://www.astrosociety.org/education/publications/tnl/34/space2.html | archive-date=August 8, 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 Space Force Base]], Cape Canaveral's [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] counterpart, or the smaller [[Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska]] (PSCA) are used instead.

The [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum]] is located at [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 26|LC-26]].<ref name="CAST_p1-29">CAST 1999, pp. 1–29 to 1–30.</ref> [[Hangar AE]], located in the CCAFS Industrial Area, collects telemetry from launches all over the United States. NASA's [[Launch Services Program]] has three Launch Vehicle Data Centers (LVDC) within that display telemetry real-time for engineers.

=== Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip ===
'''Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip''' {{airport codes||KXMR|XMR}} is a military airport at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), {{convert|7|nmi}} northeast of [[Cocoa Beach, Florida]]. It has an [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]-paved [[runway]] designated 13/31 and measuring {{convert|10000|by|200|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The facility is owned by the [[United States Space Force]] (USSF).

This airport is assigned a three-letter [[location identifier]] of '''XMR''' by the [[Federal Aviation Administration]], but it does not have an [[IATA airport code]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iata.org/publications/Pages/code-search.aspx |title=Airline and Airport Code Search |publisher=[[International Air Transport Association]] (IATA)|access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://gc.kls2.com/airport/KXMR |title=Cape Canaveral AFS Skid Strip (IATA: none, ICAO: KXMR, FAA: XMR) |publisher=Great Circle Mapper|access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref>

The runway was first called the Skid Strip because [[SM-62 Snark]] cruise missiles (which lacked wheels) returning from test flights were supposed to skid to a halt on it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spaceline.org/rocketsum/snark.html |title=Snark Fact Sheet |last=Lethbridge |first=Clifford |date=1998 |work=Spaceline|access-date=September 16, 2012}}</ref>

In the 1960s the [[Douglas C-133 Cargomaster]] was a frequent visitor, carrying modified [[Atlas (missile)|Atlas]] and [[Titan (rocket family)|Titan]] missiles, used as launch vehicles for crewed and uncrewed space programs leading to the Apollo Moon landings.  The Skid Strip was used by [[NASA]]'s [[Pregnant Guppy]] and [[Super Guppy]] transport aircraft carrying the [[S-IVB]] upper stage for the [[Saturn IB]] and [[Saturn V]] rockets used in [[Apollo program]].

Today, it is predominantly used by USAF [[C-130 Hercules]], [[C-17 Globemaster III]] and [[C-5 Galaxy]] aircraft transporting satellite payloads to CCSFS for mating with launch vehicles.

The CCSFS Skid Strip is sometimes confused with the NASA [[Shuttle Landing Facility]], but that runway, specially constructed for the [[Space Shuttle]], is located on Merritt Island at the adjacent [[Kennedy Space Center]].

=== Naval Ordnance Test Unit ===
A tenant command located at Cape Canaveral SFS is the U.S. Navy's Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU). As a major shore command led by a Navy [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]], NOTU was created in 1950 and initially directed almost all of its efforts towards the development and subsequent support of the submarine-launched Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) program.  This resulted in NOTU being assigned to the director of special projects (now strategic systems programs) with a mission to support the development of the [[Polaris missile]] and later the [[Poseidon missile]] programs.<ref name="NOTU">{{cite web |title=NOTU Cape Canaveral |url=https://www.navymwrcapecanaveral.com/ |website=www.navymwrcapecanaveral.com |publisher=US Navy}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

NOTU's mission is the support and testing of sea-based weapons systems for the United States Navy and the [[Royal Navy]] in a safe environment utilizing the airspace and waterspace of the Eastern Range. The command directly supports the mission capability and readiness of the United States Navy's Trident Submarines as well as the Fleet Ballistic Missile program of the United Kingdom. NOTU operates the Navy Port at Port Canaveral, supporting submarines and surface ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, NATO, Allied and other foreign navies, and assets of the [[Military Sealift Command]]. NOTU is composed of over 100 active duty U.S. Navy personnel and over 70 defense contractors.<ref name="NOTU" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2017/09/29/cape-canaverals-notu-gets-homegrown-commander/716926001/ |title=Cape Canaveral's NOTU gets homegrown commander |first=Tyler |last=Vazquez |website=Florida Today}}</ref>

=== Notable Launch Complexes ===
Listed below in this article are less notable launch complexes at the Cape. For a complete list of all launch complexes, see the below table.{{Merritt Island|state=expanded}}
{{Cape Canaveral launch pad map}}

=== LC-1 ===
'''Launch Complex 1 (LC-1)''' is located on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral. It was constructed in the early 1950s for the [[SM-62 Snark|Snark missile program]].<ref name="Svirskas">{{Cite web |last=Svirskas |first=Rob |date=September 14, 2008 |title=Complexes 1-4 |url=http://www.robsv.com/cape/c1.html |accessdate=January 25, 2010 |work=Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour}}</ref>

The first launch from this site was 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]]. The final use of the site was from 1983 to 1989 for [[Tethered Aerostat Radar System|tethered aerostat balloon radar]] missions.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} It is now deactivated.

=== LC-2 ===
'''Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)''' is a deactivated launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral. It was constructed with launch complexes 1, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s, for the [[SM-62 Snark|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]]. The final use of the site was during the 1980s for [[Tethered Aerostat Radar System|tethered aerostat balloon radar]] missions.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

=== LC-3 ===
'''Launch Complex 3 (LC-3)''' is a deactivated launch site southeast of [[SLC-36]] at Cape Canaveral. It was constructed, with launch complexes 1, 2, and 4, in the early 1950s for the [[SM-62 Snark|Snark missile program]].<ref name="Svirskas" />

It was formerly used to launch [[Bumper (rocket)|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)|Bumper]] rocket on July 24, 1950. The site also served as a medical support facility during [[Project Mercury]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In 2023, after weeks of searching, students from the [[University of Central Florida]], working with archaeologists, discovered the site of the original blockhouse supporting the first Bumper launch just north of the pad at LC-3, including the slab foundation and some of the surrounding [[Marston Mat]], all long-buried under heavy scrub.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Long-lost blockhouse site from historic Bumper 8 rocket launch located at Cape Canaveral |url=https://www.floridatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2023/04/07/bumper-8-blockhouse-site-found-cape-canaveral-space-force-station/11607271002/ |access-date=April 8, 2023 |website=www.floridatoday.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== LC-4 ===
{| role="presentation" class="wikitable mw-collapsible autocollapse" style=" font-size: 95%;float:right;"
|colspan=4|<strong>LC-4 Launches</strong>
|-
!Date/Time ([[UTC]])
!Type
!Mission
!Notes
|-
|10 September 1952
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 621–1
|Failed
|-
|20 August 1953, 14:37<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cape Canaveral Space Artifacts |url=https://www.spacelaunchreport.com/G38.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109181914/http://www.spacelaunchreport.com/G38.html |archive-date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=June 4, 2020 |website=www.spacelaunchreport.com |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-1
|Failed
|-
|27 January 1954, 15:20
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-2
|
|-
|5 May 1954, 17:28
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-3
|Failed
|-
|18 August 1954, 14:04
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-4
|Failed
|-
|17 November 1954, 18:12
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-6
|Failed
|-
|9 February 1955, 20:15
|Redstone
|Redstone RS-8
|Failed
|-
|6 May 1955
|Matador
|Matador GM-52-1895
|
|-
|2 February 1956<ref>{{Cite web |title=Launch Complexes 3-4 |url=http://afspacemuseum.org/ccafs/CX3-4/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150406045122/http://afspacemuseum.org/ccafs/CX3-4/ |archive-date=April 6, 2015 |access-date=June 4, 2020 |website=afspacemuseum.org}}</ref>
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 623–13
|
|-
|21 May 1956
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 623–16
|Failed
|-
|17 April 1957
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624–1
|
|-
|22 July 1957
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624–7
|
|-
|1 May 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624–19
|
|-
|7 August 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY1
|
|-
|24 September 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY4
|
|-
|21 October 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY6
|
|-
|21 November 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY7
|
|-
|13 December 1958
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY8
|
|-
|27 January 1959
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY16
|
|-
|21 April 1959
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 624-XY15
|
|-
|27 May 1959
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 631–1
|
|-
|2 September 1959
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 631–4
|
|-
|28 October 1959
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 631–5
|
|-
|29 January 1960
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 631–6
|
|-
|15 April 1960
|Bomarc
|Bomarc 631–8
|
|}
[[File:PGM-11 Redstone RS-4.jpg|thumb|PGM-11 Redstone RS-4 at LC-4]]
'''Launch Complex 4 (LC-4)''' was one of the first launch complexes to be built at Cape Canaveral. It consisted of two pads: LC-4, which was used for 25 launches of [[CIM-10 Bomarc|Bomarc]], [[MGM-1 Matador|Matador]] and [[PGM-11 Redstone|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 [[Tethered Aerostat Radar System|TARS]] aerostat operations between 1983 and 1989.<ref name="af-mil">[https://archive.today/20120719065800/http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3507 Tethered Aerostat Radar System]</ref> Following this, the aerostat launch facilities were also removed, and the complex is currently not accessible to the public.

=== LC-9 ===
[[File:Navaho launch.jpg|thumb|Launch of a Navaho from LC-9]]
'''Launch Complex 9 (LC-9)''' is a small concrete structure consisting of an elevated launch pedestal and flame trench, centered on a small oval-shaped concrete pad.. It is north of Launch Complex 17.

It was used for ten test launches of [[SM-64 Navaho]] [[supersonic]] [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear-armed]] [[cruise missile]]s. In addition to LC-9, Navaho tests were also conducted at [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 10|LC-10]] and [[Edwards Air Force Base]]. The Navaho was canceled 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. The site is not accessible to the general public.

=== LC-10 ===
'''Launch Complex 10 (LC-10)''' was used for one [[SM-64 Navaho]] missile launch, and later [[Jason (rocket)|Jason]] [[sounding rocket]]s and the [[Alpha Draco]] research missile. It was located north of [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17|Launch Complex 17]], where [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 31|Launch Complexes 31]] and [[Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 32|32]] are now located.

A single Navaho missile was test-launched from LC-10, on August 12, 1957,<ref name="NavahoLL">{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |title=Navaho |url=http://planet4589.org/space/lvdb/launch/Navaho |accessdate=May 29, 2009 |work=Orbital and Suborbital Launch Database |publisher=Jonathan's Space Page |archive-date=May 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506151428/http://planet4589.org/space/lvdb/launch/Navaho |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 April 27, 1959.

LC-10 was subsequently demolished during the construction of Launch Complexes 31 and 32, which were built on the same site.

=== LC-25 ===
[[File:Polaris AX (AX-1) on pad LC-25A CCAFS - 1958-09-24.jpg|thumb|Polaris A1 on Pad LC-25A ]]
'''Launch Complex 25 (LC-25)''' was a four-pad site built for test flights of the US Navy's [[submarine]]-launched [[ballistic missile]]s Polaris, Poseidon and Trident<ref name="afspacemuseum.org">[http://www.afspacemuseum.org/CCAFS/CX25/index.htm "Launch Complex 25" Air Force Space & Missile Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113161931/http://www.afspacemuseum.org/CCAFS/CX25/index.htm|date=November 13, 2010}} Retrieved June 20, 2011.</ref> It was active from 1958 to 1979.

Pads 25A and 25B were built in 1957. 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.<ref name="afspacemuseum.org" /> Pads 25C and 25D were added in May 1968 for the larger Poseidon. One blockhouse served all four pads; it was extensively reinforced when the Poseidon pads were added.

The complex was dismantled in 1979.

In November 2012, ground was broken for a new $185-million Navy missile test facility to be built over the underground structures at LC-25 and LC-29 called the  Strategic Weapon System Ashore.  The facility will allow the testing of fire control, launch systems and navigation for submarine-fired missiles to be conducted at one facility instead of being done by contractors in different locations around the country.<ref name="Moody 2012">Moody, Norman "Cape's Navy Missile Site Will Expand" (November 8, 2012) ''Florida Today'' Retrieved November 8, 2012</ref>

==== Launch history ====

* Polaris FTV: 19 launches  (April 18, 1958 – October 2, 1959)
* Polaris A-1: 16 launches  (March 9, 1960 – December 5, 1961)
* Polaris A-2: 14 launches  (November 10, 1960 – March 5, 1965)
* Polaris A-3:  11 launches  (February 11, 1963 – July 3, 1964)
* Poseidon: 16 launches  (August 16, 1968 – June 29, 1970)
* Trident I: 18 launches  (January 18, 1977 – January 22, 1979

=== LC-26 ===
[[File:LC-26 blockhouse.jpg|thumb|Blockhouse of LC-26 (2010)]]
'''Launch Complex 26''' ('''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, on February 1, 1958 (January 31 local time).  Pad B was used for [[Juno II]]. [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter IRBMs]] were launched from both pads.

It was deactivated and is now the home of the [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum]].

=== LC-29 ===
[[File:Polaris A3 (A3X-01) on pad LC-29A at CCSFS - 1962-08-07.jpg|thumb|Polaris A-3 on pad LC-29A]]
'''Launch Complex 29''' (LC-29) was a one-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral built for test flights of the US Navy's [[submarine]]-launched Polaris [[ballistic missile]]s from 1958 to 1980. It also launched Chevaline missiles, which were British Polaris A-3 missiles.<ref name="LaunchComplex292">{{cite web |title=Launch Complex 29 |url=http://www.afspacemuseum.org/CCAFS/CX29/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407022019/http://www.afspacemuseum.org/CCAFS/CX29/ |archivedate=April 7, 2012 |accessdate=June 25, 2012 |publisher=Air Force Space & Missile Museum}}</ref>

The complex was designed to contain two launch pads, 29A and 29B, but only 29A was built. The launch complex was dismantled in 1980.

In November 2012, ground was broken for a new $185-million Navy missile test facility to be built over the underground structures at LC-25 and LC-29 called the  Strategic Weapons System Ashore.  The facility will allow the testing of fire control, launch systems and navigation for submarine-fired missiles to be conducted at one facility instead of being done by contractors in different locations around the country.<ref name="Moody 2012" />

==== Launch history ====

* Polaris A1X: 14 launches  (September 21, 1959 – April 29, 1960)<ref name="LaunchComplex292" />
* Polaris A-2: 15 launches  (January 10, 1961 – November 12, 1965)<ref name="LaunchComplex292" />
* Polaris A-3: 18 launches  (August 7, 1962 – November 1, 1967)<ref name="LaunchComplex292" />
* Polaris A-3 Antelope:  3 launches  (November 17, 1966 – March 2, 1967)<ref name="LaunchComplex292" />
* British Chevaline launches:  (September 11, 1977 – May 19, 1980)<ref name="LaunchComplex292" />

=== LC-43 ===
'''Launch Complex 43''' (LC-43) was used by American [[sounding rocket]]s between 1962 and 1984, supporting 2,038 launches. These launches were moved to moved to [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 47|LC-47]] in 1984, and LC-43 was demolished to make way for [[Spaceport Florida Launch Complex 46|Launch Complex 46]], which was built near the site.

=== Other launch complexes ===

'''Launch Complex 23/24 (LC-23/24)''' was located along the southeast side of Lighthouse Road southwest of Launch Complexes 1 and 2. The designation was first assigned to a testing pad for a sea-based version of the Army’s [[PGM-19 Jupiter]] missile.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LAUNCH COMPLEX 23/24 FACT SHEET {{!}} Spaceline |url=https://www.spaceline.org/cape-canaveral-launch-sites/launch-complex-23-24-fact-sheet/ |access-date=2025-11-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> Later, the designation was reused for a [[SSM-N-2 Triton]] surface-to-surface winged missile testing site, and planned to contain two launch pads and a blockhouse. Due to its cancellation, only one pad was built, and used for engine run up tests of the [[SM-62 Snark|Snark]] missile, with no actual launches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum |url=https://ccspacemuseum.org/facilities/launch-complexes-23-24/ |access-date=2025-11-19 |website=ccspacemuseum.org}}</ref>

'''Launch Complex 44 (LC-44)''' was a flat launch pad used for testing [[M47 Dragon]] missiles in 1967, both from handheld launchers and stationary launch stands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LAUNCH COMPLEX 44 FACT SHEET {{!}} Spaceline |url=https://www.spaceline.org/cape-canaveral-launch-sites/launch-complex-44-fact-sheet/ |access-date=2025-11-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> On the 29th of August 1968, the deactivated site witnessed a crash of a [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] bomber following an in-flight emergency<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum |url=https://ccspacemuseum.org/facilities/launch-complex-44/ |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=ccspacemuseum.org}}</ref> The complex was destroyed during construction of the Trident Turn Basin.

'''Launch Complex 45 (LC-45)''' was a flat launch pad built for test launches of [[Roland (missile)|Roland II]] missiles, located south of the then-extant LC-43. An armored vehicle was to serve served both as a launch pad and a blockhouse, similar to regular operations of the system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LAUNCH COMPLEX 45 FACT SHEET {{!}} Spaceline |url=https://www.spaceline.org/cape-canaveral-launch-sites/launch-complex-45-fact-sheet/ |access-date=2025-11-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> The project was terminated in 1976, before any missiles could be launched, and the complex was destroyed during construction of [[Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 46|Launch Complex 46]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum |url=https://ccspacemuseum.org/facilities/launch-complex-45/ |access-date=2025-11-20 |website=ccspacemuseum.org}}</ref>

Many other numbered launch complexes were proposed but never built, with their numbers being skipped in the sequence. Those included a third Titan III launch pad in the [[Integrate-Transfer-Launch Complex#Launch Complex 42|ITL complex (LC-42)]], a Titan/[[Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar|DynaSoar]] pad near present day Launch Complex 37 (LC-33), a pair of launch pads between Launch Complex 23/24 and Camera Road Bravo (LC-7/8), multiple [[SM-64 Navaho]] pads (LC-27, LC-35), another pad on the [[Missile Row]] (LC-28), and a new [[Atlas-Agena]]/[[Atlas-Centaur]] launch complex (LC-38).<ref>{{Cite web |title=CAPE CANAVERAL LAUNCH SITES {{!}} Spaceline |url=https://www.spaceline.org/cape-canaveral-launch-sites/ |access-date=2025-11-11 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Based units ==
Units marked GSU are Air Force Geographically Separate Units which, although based at Cape Canaveral SFS, are subordinate to Space Launch Delta 45 headquarters at [[Patrick Space Force Base|Patrick SFB]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.patrick.af.mil/Units/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206024755/http://www.patrick.af.mil/units/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2006 |title=Mission Partners |website=Patrick AFB |publisher=US Air Force|access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.patrick.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117065702/http://www.patrick.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 17, 2016 |title=Fact Sheets |website=Patrick AFB |publisher=US Air Force|access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref>

=== United States Space Force ===
'''[[Space Operations Command]] (SpOC)'''
* [[Space Launch Delta 45]]
*** [[5th Space Launch Squadron]] – [[Atlas V]] and [[Delta IV]]
** [[45th Operations Group]]  (GSU) incorporating the former [[45th Launch Group]] deactivated in 2018<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://spacecoastdaily.com/2018/08/45th-launch-group-inactivated-combines-launch-mission-and-personnel-with-45th-operations-group/ |title=45th Launch Group Inactivated, Combines Launch Mission and Personnel with 45th Operations Group – Space Coast Daily |website=spacecoastdaily.com|date=August 5, 2018 }}</ref>
*** 45th Range Squadron
*** 45th Space Communications Squadron
*** [[45th Weather Squadron]]

=== United States Navy ===
* Naval Ordnance Test Unit

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery
| Merritt Island.jpg | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (shown in green)
| Cape canaveral.jpg | Cape Canaveral as seen from orbit by a [[Space Shuttle]] in 1991
| Cape Canaveral Lighthouse (2009)-LF.JPG | [[Cape Canaveral lighthouse]]
| Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.jpg | Looking north along Missile Row in the 1960s
| Titan 3E Centaur launches Voyager 2.jpg | Titan III-E launching ''[[Voyager 2]]'' probe in 1977 from SLC-41
| Delta-4H DSP-23 2.jpg | First [[Delta IV Heavy]] booster launching from SLC-37 in 2007
| ORBCOMM-2 (23802549782).jpg | Launch of a set of [[Orbcomm (satellite)|Orbcomm]] communications satellites atop a [[Falcon 9]] rocket from SLC-40 in 2015
|KSC-20171215-PH AWG03 0009 (24214520767).jpg|SLC-40 during launch of [[SpaceX CRS-13]] in December 2017, after repair and upgrade works to the pad between 2016–2017
| Cape Canaveral Mission Control Center.jpg | Mission Control Center used for Mercury Program and Gemini III
| Cape Canaveral Air Force Station sign 001.jpg | The sign located at the entrance to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (then known as Cape Canaveral Air Force Station)
|CLPS PM-1 Astrobotic-ULA Rollout for Launch (KSC-20240105-PH-CSH01 0011) Cropped.jpg|An aerial view of SLC-41 with its crew access tower and arm prior to the first launch of [[Vulcan Centaur]] carrying [[Peregrine Mission One]]
| File:Falcon 9 NG-20 Launch (8217536).jpg| SLC-40 during launch of [[Cygnus NG-20]] in January 2024, after Crew Access Tower and Arm installation
| File:New Glenn launch signals new era for Space Launch Complex 36 (8832113).jpg| LC-36 in January 2025, during the first launch of [[New Glenn]]
}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Florida|Rocketry|Spaceflight|United States}}
* [[List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/spp/military/facility/99mar_ccas_1.pdf |title=Launch Site Safety Assessment, Section 1.0 Eastern Range General Range Capabilities|access-date=January 25, 2010 |work=Research Triangle Institute, Center for Aerospace Technology (CAST), Florida Office |date=March 1999 |publisher=[[Federal Aviation Administration]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326231022/http://www.fas.org/spp/military/facility/99mar_ccas_1.pdf|archive-date=March 26, 2009}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Cape Canaveral Space Force Station}}
*[https://www.patrick.spaceforce.mil/ Patrick Air Force Base]
*[http://www.robsv.com/cape/ Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour]
*[http://www.afspacemuseum.org/ Air Force Space and Missile Museum Web site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070921094112/http://aroundcentralflorida.com/features/CapeCanaveralLighthouse/ "Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Shines Again" article and video interview about the lighthouse]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703230334/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/aviation/ Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]
*{{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.69591|name="The Cape (1963)"}}
*{{HAER |survey=FL-8-5 |id=fl0457 |title=Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard, FL}}
*[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-350/events.html Key Events in Apollo]
*[https://rocketlaunch.org/launch-schedule/cape-canaveral Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Schedule]

{{United States Space Force}}
{{Harry S. Truman}}
{{Spaceport}}
{{USAF Space Command}}
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{{Merritt Island}}
{{Spaceflight landmarks}}
{{NASA centers}}
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[[Category:Cape Canaveral Space Force Station| ]]
[[Category:Launch complexes of the United States Space Force]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Brevard County, Florida]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida]]
[[Category:Spaceports in the United States]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Florida]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Florida]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1949]]