Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 6
CCAFS LC-6 | |
---|---|
A Redstone rocket launched from Launch Complex 6 on September 17, 1958 | |
Coordinates | 28 ° 26 '27 " N , 80 ° 34' 21" W |
Type | Orbital Launch Site |
operator | US Air Force |
Launch pads | 1 |
Missiles | Redstone , Jupiter |
First start | April 20, 1955 |
Last start | June 27, 1961 |
Total starts | 43 |
status | inactive |
Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 6 (LC-6) is a disused launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Merritt Island , Cape Canaveral in Florida , USA . It was used between 1955 and 1961 for a total of 43 launches of the ballistic Redstone missile and the medium-range missile Jupiter .
history
Launch Complex 6 was built in the mid-1950s as a launch facility for the US Army's Redstone missile . The Redstone developed by Wernher von Braun was based on the German A4 and was the first large liquid fuel rocket in the United States. With a thrust of 367,500 kN, the Redstone was supposed to transport a 3,580 kg nuclear warhead over a distance of 320 km. The first test launch of Launch Complex 6 took place on April 20, 1955, three months later the launch pad was officially recognized by the US government . In the following years the launch system was used for 15 missions of the Redstone rocket; only four starts were completely successful.
From September 22, 1955, the launch complex was also used for the Jupiter A, a modified variant of the Redstone with an improved control system. Of the 22 launches of the 29-ton rocket, twelve failed. In addition, Launch Complex 6 was used twice in re-entry tests for ICBMs flown with the Jupiter-C.
The last launch of Launch Complex 6 was on June 27, 1961 with a Redstone rocket. On January 31, 1964, the launch facility became part of the US Air Force Space Museum . A rocket of the Juno I type is located on the former launch pad, which in 1958 brought the USA's first artificial earth satellite into orbit, the Explorer 1 . The so-called block house, which was built to control the launches in 1955, can also be visited.
Start list
date | Time ( UTC ) | Missile type | serial number |
---|---|---|---|
April 20, 1955 | 06:51 | Redstone | RS-9 |
May 25, 1955 | 04:24 | Redstone | RS-10 |
August 31, 1955 | 00:11 | Redstone | RS-7 |
September 22, 1955 | 05:51 | Jupiter A | RS-11 |
December 6, 1955 | 00:46 | Jupiter A | RS-12 |
March 15, 1956 | 00:36 | Jupiter A | RS-18 |
May 16, 1956 | 04:21 | Jupiter A | RS-19 |
August 8, 1956 | 08:25 | Jupiter A | RS-20 |
October 18, 1956 | 09:05 | Jupiter A | CC-14 |
October 31, 1956 | 02:04 | Jupiter A | RS-25 |
November 14, 1956 | 02:05 | Jupiter A | RS-28 |
November 29, 1956 | 13:23 | Jupiter A | CC-15 |
December 19, 1956 | 02:30 | Jupiter A | RS-22 |
January 19, 1957 | 01:37 | Jupiter A | CC-16 |
March 14, 1957 | 08:12 | Jupiter A | CC-32 |
March 28, 1957 | 01:22 | Jupiter A | CC-30 |
May 15, 1957 | 07:55 | Jupiter C | RS-34 |
June 26, 1957 | 11:09 | Jupiter A | CC-31 |
July 12, 1957 | 06:30 | Jupiter A | CC-35 |
July 26, 1957 | 04:17 | Jupiter A | CC-37 |
August 8, 1957 | 06:59 | Jupiter C | CC-40 |
September 11, 1957 | 02:41 | Jupiter A | CC-38 |
October 2, 1957 | 19:29 | Jupiter A | CC-39 |
October 31, 1957 | 04:52 | Jupiter A | CC-41 |
December 11, 1957 | 00:36 | Jupiter A | CC-42 |
January 15, 1958 | 01:24 | Jupiter A | CC-45 |
February 12, 1958 | 00:54 | Redstone | CC-46 |
February 27, 1958 | 19:59 | Redstone | CC-43 |
June 12, 1958 | 01:59 | Jupiter A | CC-54 |
June 25, 1958 | 03:36 | Redstone | CC-48 |
17th September 1958 | 18:00 | Redstone | CC-56 |
November 6, 1958 | 00:43 | Redstone | CC-57 |
October 1, 1959 | 01:28 | Jupiter IRBM | AM-24 |
5th November 1959 | 00:38 | Jupiter IRBM | CM-33 |
December 10, 1959 | 00:08 | Jupiter IRBM | AM-32 |
5th February 1960 | 00:19 | Jupiter IRBM | AM-30 |
March 22, 1960 | 01:22 | Redstone | 2020 |
August 10, 1960 | 01:31 | Redstone | 2023 |
October 6, 1960 | 03:44 | Redstone | 2037 |
January 22, 1961 | 02:04 | Redstone | 2038 |
March 9, 1961 | 02:30 | Redstone | 2040 |
May 18, 1961 | 02:00 | Redstone | 2042 |
June 27, 1961 | 02:20 | Redstone | 2043 |
Web links
- Cape Canaveral LC6 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- Canaveral Air Force Station Virtual Tour: LC-6 (English)
- Air Force Space and Missile Museum (English)