Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 10
| CCAFS LC-10 | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ N , 80 ° 33 ′ 23 ″ W |
| Type | Launch site for cruise missiles |
| operator | US Air Force |
| Launch pads | 1 |
| Missiles | Navaho (missile) , Alpha Draco , Jason |
| First start | August 12, 1957 |
| Last start | April 27, 1959 |
| Total starts | 10 |
| status | inactive |
 
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Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 10 (LC-10) was a launch pad of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Merritt Island , Cape Canaveral in Florida , USA . It was originally the mid-1950s along with LC-9 on the development of the Navaho - cruise missile built. It was used between 1957 and 1959 for the launch of the sounding rockets Alpha Draco and Jason .
history
Launch Complex 10 was built in 1956 by the US Air Force for test launches of the Navaho experimental cruise missile . The program, launched in 1946, was intended to demonstrate the feasibility of an intercontinental missile. After Launch Complex 10 was officially recognized by the US Air Force on June 29, 1956, the first Navaho launch took place on August 12, 1957. However, the cruise missile got off course after taking off and later hit the Atlantic . In the following years, the launch system was only used for exercises in handling the rocket, before the Navaho program was discontinued in 1958 due to ongoing postponements.
After the end of the Navaho project, the LC-10 was converted for the launch of the Jason sounding rocket. The five-stage rocket could reach heights of up to 800 km and was developed for Operation Argus , during which three atomic bombs were detonated at high altitudes to study the effects of the detonations on the earth's electromagnetic field. A total of six Jason rockets successfully launched from the complex in August and September 1958.
The launch system was then used in 1959 for three launches of the Alpha Draco research rocket. The Alpha Draco developed by McDonnell consisted of two solid rocket stages and a non-propelled re-entry body, which should be brought to an altitude of 30 km. After that, the entry body should separate from the rocket and hit the Atlantic about 400 km from the launch site. The concept was tested in early 1959 with three launches of Launch Complex 10; the last launch took place on April 27, 1959.
The launch pad was then deactivated and largely blown up in 1959 to make room for new launch pads for the Minuteman ICBM .
The complex
Launch Complex 10 was structurally identical to the neighboring Launch Complex 9, which was also assigned to the Navaho program. The launches of the Navaho missile were monitored from a neighboring bunker, the log cabin, which now serves as a storage room. From there, the launch pad could be observed through a periscope or angled mirrors.
Start list
| date | Time ( UTC ) | Missile type | serial number |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 12, 1957 | Navaho | 05 | |
| 15th August 1958 | 04:16 | Jason | 1822 |
| August 27, 1958 | 03:33 | Jason | 1909 |
| August 30, 1958 | 04:31 | Jason | 2022 |
| August 30, 1958 | 06:36 | Jason | 2025 |
| August 31, 1958 | 00:07 | Jason | 2020 |
| 2nd September 1958 | 22:15 | Jason | 2043 |
| February 16, 1959 | Alpha Draco | ||
| March 16, 1959 | Alpha Draco | ||
| April 27, 1959 | Alpha Draco |
Web links
- Cape Canaveral LC10 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour: LC-10 (English)