Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39

"Launch Complex 39" redirects here. For the Proton launch complex at Baikonur, see Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200.

Launch Complex 39
LC-39A (foreground) and LC-39B (background) on April 6, 2022
Map
LocationKennedy Space Center
Coordinates28°36′30.2″N 80°36′15.6″W / 28.608389°N 80.604333°W / 28.608389; -80.604333
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Short nameLC-39
Established1962; 62 years ago (1962)
Operator
  • LC-39A:
  • LC-39B:
    • NASA (1969–present)
Total launches247 (13 Saturn V, 4 Saturn IB, 135 Shuttle, 1 Ares I, 82 Falcon 9, 11 Falcon Heavy, 1 Space Launch System)
Launch pad(s)3
Orbital inclination
range		28°–62°
Pad 39A launch history
StatusActive
Launches187 (12 Saturn V, 82 Shuttle, 82 Falcon 9, 11 Falcon Heavy)
First launchNovember 9, 1967
Saturn V SA-501
Last launchNovember 17, 2024
Falcon 9 Block 5 / Optus-X/TD7
Associated
rockets
Pad 39B launch history
StatusActive
Launches60 (1 Saturn V, 4 Saturn IB, 53 Shuttle, 1 Ares I-X, 1 SLS)
First launchMay 18, 1969
Saturn V SA-505
Last launchNovember 16, 2022
Space Launch System / Artemis I
Associated
rockets
Pad 39C launch history
StatusInactive
Launch Complex 39
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 is located in Florida
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 is located in the United States
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39
LocationJohn F. Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, Florida
Area7,000 acres (2,800 ha)
Built1967
MPSJohn F. Kennedy Space Center MPS
NRHP reference No.73000568[1]
Added to NRHPMay 24, 1973

Launch Complex 39 (LC-39) is a rocket launch site at the John F. Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, United States. The site and its collection of facilities were originally built as the Apollo program's "Moonport"[2] and later modified for the Space Shuttle program. Launch Complex 39 consists of three launch sub-complexes or "pads"—39A, 39B, and 39C—a Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), a Crawlerway used by crawler-transporters to carry mobile launcher platforms between the VAB and the pads, Orbiter Processing Facility buildings, a Launch Control Center which contains the firing rooms, a news facility famous for the iconic countdown clock seen in television coverage and photos, and various logistical and operational support buildings.[3]

SpaceX leases Launch Complex 39A from NASA and has modified the pad to support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches.[4][5] NASA began modifying Launch Complex 39B in 2007 to accommodate the now defunct Constellation program, and is currently prepared for the Artemis program,[6][7] which was first launched in November 2022.[8] A pad to be designated 39C, which would have been a copy of pads 39A and 39B, was originally planned for Apollo but never built. A smaller pad, also designated 39C, was constructed from January to June 2015, to accommodate small-lift launch vehicles.[9]

NASA launches from pads 39A and 39B have been supervised from the NASA Launch Control Center (LCC), located 3 miles (4.8 km) from the launch pads. LC-39 is one of several launch sites that share the radar and tracking services of the Eastern Test Range.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Benson, Charles D.; Faherty, William B. (August 1977). "Preface". Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations. History Series. Vol. SP-4204. NASA.
  3. ^ "KSC Facilities". NASA. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
  4. ^ D'Orazio, Dante (September 6, 2015). "After delays, SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket set to launch in spring 2016". The Verge. Vox Media.
  5. ^ "Spacex seeks to accelerate falcon 9 production and launch rates this year". February 4, 2016.
  6. ^ NASA (1993). "Launch Complex 39-A & 39-B". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  7. ^ NASA (2000). "Launch Complex 39". NASA. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  8. ^ Clark, Steven (October 22, 2021). "NASA targets February launch for Artemis 1 moon mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference lc39C was invoked but never defined (see the help page).