Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) is a
launch pad
A launch pad is an above-ground facility from which a rocket-powered missile or space vehicle is vertically launched. The term ''launch pad'' can be used to describe just the central launch platform (mobile launcher platform), or the entire ...
for rockets located at the north end of
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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 ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
The launch pad was used by the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
for 55
Titan III
Titan was a family of United States expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. The Titan I and Titan II were part of the US Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fleet until 1987. The space launch vehicle versions contribute ...
and
Titan IV
Titan IV was a family of heavy-lift space launch vehicles developed by Martin Marietta and operated by the United States Air Force from 1989 to 2005. Launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Vandenberg Air For ...
launches between 1965 and 2005.
The facility underwent multiple upgrades including the design and construction of towers with retractable and foldable platforms for vehicle assembly, instrumentation and monitoring.
After 2007, the US Air Force leased the complex to
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
to launch the
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...
rocket.
As of August 2022, there have been 93 launches of the
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...
from the complex.
The site was heavily damaged following the September 2016
Falcon 9 flight 29
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
incident,
due to a
catastrophic failure
A catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading systems failure. The term is most commonly used for structural failures, but has often been extended to many oth ...
during a
static fire
Launch vehicle system tests assess the readiness of a launch system to safely reach orbit. Launch vehicles undergo system tests before they launch. A wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and a more extensive static fire tests a fully assembled launch vehicl ...
test. The complex was repaired and returned to operational status in December 2017 for the
CRS-13
SpaceX CRS-13, also known as SpX-13, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 15 December 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX. It was the second mission to successfull ...
mission.
Launch history
Rocket launches
Titan
![Space Launch Complex 40 with Titan rocket mobile service tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Space_Launch_Complex_40_with_Titan_rocket_mobile_service_tower.jpg)
The first launch from SLC-40 (initially named LC-40) was the maiden flight of the
Titan IIIC
The Titan IIIC was an expendable launch system used by the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1982. It was the first Titan booster to feature large solid rocket motors and was planned to be used as a launcher for the Dyna-Soar, though the s ...
(June 18, 1965), carrying two
transtage
Transtage, given the United States Air Force designation SSB-10A, was an American upper stage used on Titan III rockets, developed by Martin Marietta and Aerojet.
History
Transtage was developed in anticipation of a requirement to launch milita ...
upper stages to test the functionality of the vehicle.
Two interplanetary missions were launched from the pad:
* The failed
Mars Observer
The ''Mars Observer'' spacecraft, also known as the ''Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter'', was a robotic space probe launched by NASA on September 25, 1992, to study the Martian surface, atmosphere, climate and magnetic field. During the inte ...
spacecraft (September 25, 1992)
* The
Cassini–Huygens
''Cassini–Huygens'' ( ), commonly called ''Cassini'', was a space research, space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, i ...
mission to
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; h ...
(October 15, 1997)
A total of 26 Titan IIICs, 8
Titan 34D
The Titan 34D was a United States expendable launch vehicle used to launch a number of satellites for military applications.
Service history
Derived from the Titan III, the Titan 34D featured Stage 1 and Stage 2 stretched with more powerful UA1 ...
s, 4
Commercial Titan III
The Commercial Titan III, also known as CT-3 or CT-III, was an American expendable launch system, developed by Martin Marietta during the late 1980s and flown four times during the early 1990s. It was derived from the Titan 34D, and was original ...
s and 17
Titan IV
Titan IV was a family of heavy-lift space launch vehicles developed by Martin Marietta and operated by the United States Air Force from 1989 to 2005. Launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Vandenberg Air For ...
s were launched between 1965 and 2005.
The final Titan launch from SLC-40 was the
Lacrosse-5 reconnaissance satellite carried on a Titan IV-B on April 30, 2005.
The tower was disassembled during late 2007 and early 2008. Demolition of the Mobile Service Structure (MSS), by means of a
controlled explosion
A controlled explosion is a method for detonating or disabling a suspected explosive device.
Methods which are used to set off a controlled explosion include clearing the area and using a bomb disposal robot to attach a shaped charge to the susp ...
, occurred on April 27, 2008, by
Controlled Demolition, Inc
Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) is a controlled demolition firm headquartered in Phoenix, Maryland. The firm was founded by Jack Loizeaux who used dynamite to remove tree stumps in the Baltimore, Maryland area, and moved on to using explosives t ...
.
SpaceX - Falcon 9
![ORBCOMM-2 First-Stage Landing (23604164970)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/ORBCOMM-2_First-Stage_Landing_%2823604164970%29.jpg)
On April 25, 2007, the US Air Force leased the complex to
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
to launch the
Falcon 9
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...
rocket.
During April 2008, construction started on the ground facilities necessary to support the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Renovations included installation of new
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...
and
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
tanks and construction of a hangar for rocket and payload preparation. The spherical liquid oxygen (LOX) tank was acquired from NASA. This LOX tank was previously used at
LC-34
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 p ...
.
The first Falcon 9 rocket arrived at SLC-40 in late 2008, and was first erected on January 10, 2009. It successfully reached orbit on its
maiden launch on June 4, 2010, carrying a
dummy payload qualification unit.
SLC-40 was the primary launch facility of the original
SpaceX Dragon
American private space transportation company SpaceX has developed and produced several spacecraft named Dragon. The first family member, now referred to as Dragon 1, flew 23 cargo missions to the ISS between 2010 and 2020 before being retired ...
, a reusable automated cargo vehicle which was used to provide two-way
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
to and
from
From may refer to:
* From, a preposition
* From (SQL), computing language keyword
* From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email
* FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company
* Full range of motion, the travel in a range of ...
the International Space Station; a role previously filled by the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
until its retirement in 2011. SpaceX successfully launched the
first test flight for the
Dragon 1 from SLC-40 on December 8, 2010. Its
first attempt to launch to and dock with the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
successfully occurred on May 22, 2012, following an abort after engine ignition three days earlier. The upgraded
SpaceX Dragon 2
Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched Private spaceflight, private m ...
launches from the nearby
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
LC-39A
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, were first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle. Ty ...
to allow for late loading of supplies through the Crew Access Arm.
SpaceX modified the launch pad in 2013 in order to support launches of the
Falcon 9 v1.1
Falcon 9 v1.1 was the second version of SpaceX's Falcon 9 orbital launch vehicle. The rocket was developed in 2011–2013, made its maiden launch in September 2013, and its final flight in January 2016. The Falcon 9 rocket was fully designed ...
launch vehicle, a 60% heavier rocket with 60% more thrust on realigned engines
and 60% longer fuel tank than the v1.0 version of the Falcon 9, requiring a modified transporter/erector.
Accidents and incidents
On September 1, 2016 a
Falcon 9 rocket
Falcon 9 is a partially reusable medium lift launch vehicle that can carry cargo and crew into Earth orbit, produced by American aerospace company SpaceX.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payl ...
was destroyed by an explosion that originated around the rocket's second stage while preparing for a routine
static fire
Launch vehicle system tests assess the readiness of a launch system to safely reach orbit. Launch vehicles undergo system tests before they launch. A wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and a more extensive static fire tests a fully assembled launch vehicl ...
test on the SLC-40 launch pad. The explosion occurred during loading of
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...
eight minutes prior to igniting the first stage engine as part of the test.
A static fire is a test performed prior to launch to verify that both the launch vehicle and the ground systems are ready for flight. The test is identical to a launch until the moment of liftoff but instead of releasing the vehicle shortly after first stage engine ignition, the engines fire for a few seconds and then shut down. The second stage is fueled to test the interaction with the first stage and ground systems but remains otherwise inactive. After completion of a static fire test, the propellant and oxidizer are unloaded, the launch vehicle is lowered and the launch vehicle is returned to the hangar pending review and analysis of the data from the static fire test. SpaceX performs static fire tests to ensure that ground systems, as well as the launch vehicle, will perform nominally.
The static fire explosion resulted in the total loss of the rocket. The rocket's payload, the
AMOS-6
AMOS-6 was an Israeli communications satellite, one of the Spacecom AMOS series, that was built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a defense and aerospace company.
AMOS-6 was intended to be launched on flight 29 of a SpaceX Falcon 9 to ...
satellite, was on-board and was also destroyed. In addition, the explosion resulted in extensive damage to the launch pad. It was reported to have cracked nearby windows and to have been felt up to 40 miles away. There were no personnel on the pad and no injuries from the explosion were reported.
Repairs to and modernization of the launch pad began in early 2017 following completion of accident investigation and environmental cleanup.
SLC-40 returned to service with the launch of
CRS-13
SpaceX CRS-13, also known as SpX-13, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 15 December 2017. The mission was contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX. It was the second mission to successfull ...
on 15 December 2017. The pad was reportedly in good condition after the launch. The initial launch of a
Falcon Heavy
Falcon Heavy is a partially reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle that is produced by SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer. The rocket consists of two strap-on boosters made from Falcon 9 first stages, a center core also made from a Falc ...
from pad 39A was contingent upon the successful reactivation of pad 40.
Resumed launches from pad 40 freed up pad 39A for needed final modifications without affecting the SpaceX launch tempo.
List of launches
As of December 16, 2022
Past launches
Upcoming launches
References
{{SpaceX
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Launch complexes of the United States Space Force
SpaceX facilities
1965 establishments in Florida