Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 9
CCAFS LC-9 | |
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Navaho missile on the launch pad of Launch Complex 9 (1956) | |
Coordinates | 28 ° 27 ′ 7 ″ N , 80 ° 33 ′ 22 ″ W |
Type | Launch site for cruise missiles |
operator | US Air Force |
Launch pads | 1 |
Missiles | Navaho |
First start | November 6, 1956 |
Last start | November 18, 1958 |
Total starts | 10 |
status | inactive |
Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 9 (LC-9) is a disused launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Merritt Island , Cape Canaveral , Florida , USA . It was used between 1956 and 1958 for the test program of the cruise missile Navaho .
history
Launch Complex 9 was the mid-1950s by the US Air Force for test launches of the unmanned Navaho cruise missile ( Engl. Cruise missile ) built. A Navaho rocket consisted of two parts, a launch rocket and the actual cruise missile with two ramjet engines for propulsion. The concept envisaged that the winged cruise missile would be brought to a height of 13 km by the launch rocket, then separate at a speed of Mach 3 and continue the flight independently. If the missions were successful, the cruise missile would eventually land on a runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The US Air Force officially recognized Launch Complex 9 on June 29, 1956, the first launch took place on November 6 of the same year and ended with the rocket being destroyed after 26 seconds. During the third Navaho launch attempt on April 25, 1957, the cruise missile exploded on the launch table, damaging the launch pad. The following launches were also unsuccessful, so that the program was discontinued in 1957 and Navaho was replaced by the Atlas ICBM . The last launch of Launch Complex 9 took place on November 18, 1958; the launch systems were partially dismantled in 1959 to make room for the launch pads of the Minuteman ICBM . A total of ten Navaho missiles were launched from Launch Complex 9.
The complex
The Navaho missile was in the center of the launch table, over a baffle for the shock wave . The exhaust gases from the engines were discharged via the flame trench and cooled by a water jacket . On the other side of the launch pad was the so-called directional arm, which set up the rocket before launch and could be used for maintenance work. In addition, a weather protection attached to rails could be driven over the launch site. 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 |
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November 6, 1956 | Navaho | 03 | |
March 22, 1957 | Navaho | 06 | |
April 25, 1957 | Navaho | 07 | |
June 26, 1957 | Navaho | 08 | |
September 18, 1957 | Navaho | 10 | |
November 13, 1957 | 17:28 | Navaho | 11 |
January 10, 1958 | 19:38 | Navaho | 13 |
February 26, 1958 | 17:22 | Navaho | 12 |
September 11, 1958 | Navaho | 14th | |
November 18, 1958 | 21:03 | Navaho | 04 |
Web links
- Cape Canaveral LC9 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour: LC-9 (English)