(When the Command Module was attached to the Service Module, it was called the CSM.). The Apollo 11 mission concluded exactly eight days, three hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds after launch with a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, about 800 nautical miles southwest of Hawaii and 12 miles from the recovery ship, the USS Hornet. Heated gaseous nitrogen was used there to remove the extremely cold gaseous oxygen that normally vented out of the external tank. By early 2013, NASA publicly announced that it would allow commercial launch providers to lease LC-39A,[41] and followed that, in May 2013, with a formal solicitation for proposals for commercial use of the pad. The three-stage 363-foot rocket will use its 7.5 million pounds of thrust to propel them into space and into history. After firing its engines one last time to enter Earth’s orbit, the Service Module was ditched and the three astronauts braced for re-entry inside the cone-shaped Command Module. [32], During the launch of Discovery on STS-124 on May 31, 2008, the pad at LC-39A suffered extensive damage, in particular to the concrete trench used to deflect the SRB's flames. and the cancellation of Constellation Program in 2010, the future of the Launch Complex 39 pads was uncertain. Endeavour was ready for a contingency mission in case of trouble with Atlantis. 1 st step taken lunar surface (CDR). This is the reason the Crawlerway turns as it heads to Pad B; continuing straight from that turn would have led to the additional pads. Northern Merritt Island was first developed around 1890 when a few wealthy Harvard University graduates purchased 18,000 acres (73 km2) and constructed a three-story mahogany clubhouse, very nearly on the site of Pad 39A. After the completion of STS-125, 39B was converted to launch the single test flight of the Constellation Program Ares I-X on October 28, 2009. Pad 39E would have been due north of the midpoint between 39C and 39D, with 39E forming the top of a triangle, and equidistant from 39C and 39D. Launch Complex 39C is a new facility for small-lift launch vehicles. The first SpaceX launch from pad 39A was SpaceX CRS-10 on February 19, 2017, using a Falcon 9 launch vehicle; it was the company's 10th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station,[62] and the first uncrewed launch from 39A since Skylab. Artist's rendering of the Space Launch System Block 1 sitting on LC-39B with the Orion spacecraft at sunrise. “Roger, Tranquility. The Air Force annexed part of Cape Canaveral, to the north, in 1951, forming the Air Force Missile Test Center, the future Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). Thanks a lot.”. With the exception of Apollo 10, which used Pad 39B (due to the "all-up" testing resulting in a 2-month turnaround period), all crewed Apollo-Saturn V launches, commencing with Apollo 8, used Pad 39A. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin raise the American flag on the moon. According to the museum, the free performance, dubbed “ Apollo 50: Go for the Moon,” is set to take place at 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. both Friday and Saturday. Time Life Pictures/NASA/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images. This article incorporates public domain material from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration document: "Launch Pad 39C". The first shuttle flight to use it was STS-51-L, which ended with the Challenger disaster, after which the first return-to-flight mission, STS-26, was launched from 39B. † denotes failed missions, destroyed vehicles, and abandoned sites. The thrust to allow the Space Shuttle to achieve orbit was provided by a combination of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) and the RS-25 engines. It was rolled back 6,900 feet (2,100 m) to a parking position shortly before launch. U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A#SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A § SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A § Current status, Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B § Current status, List of Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island launch sites, "After delays, SpaceX's massive Falcon Heavy rocket set to launch in spring 2016", "Spacex seeks to accelerate falcon 9 production and launch rates this year", National Aeronautics and Space Administration, "NASA Completes Review of First SLS, Orion Deep Space Exploration Mission", "NASA administrator on recent personnel shakeup: 'There's no turmoil at all, "New Launch Pad will Enable Smaller Companies to Develop and Launch Rockets from Kennedy", "NGS Datasheet for Clubhouse Southwest Gable", "The History of Cape Canaveral, Chapter 2: The Missile Range Takes Shape (1949–1958)", "The History of Cape Canaveral, Chapter 3: NASA Arrives (1959–Present)", "Kennedy Space Center Visitor and Area Information | NASA", "NASA – External Tank (ET) Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm", "GUCP troubleshooting continues as MMT push for launch on June 17", "SPACE.com – NASA Conducts Shuttle Astronaut Rescue Drill", "NASA Eyes Launch Pad Damage for Next Shuttle Flight", "Up for grabs? two jettisoned, Apollo 11 enters a 103 nautical mile-high Earth orbit, during which the vehicle is carefully checked by the astronauts and by the ground control crew. The main event takes place Sunday night, when Aldrin takes his place alongside Apollo 11 crewmates Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins for a lecture at the National Air and Space Museum. Missile and rocketry testing and development would take place here through the 1950s. The "room" was constructed of reinforced concrete and protected by up to 20 feet (6.1 m) of fill dirt.[24][25]. While the External Tank was being fueled, hazardous gas was vented from an internal hydrogen tank, through the GUCP, and out a vent line to a flare stack where it was burned off at a safe distance. Additionally, new instrumentation and control systems were installed, and substantial new plumbing was added for a variety of rocket liquids and gases. [4][5] One potential shared user in the Blue Origin plan was United Launch Alliance. While Cape Canaveral's Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) was undergoing reconstruction after the loss of the AMOS-6 satellite on September 1, 2016, all SpaceX's east coast launches were from Pad 39A until SLC-40 became operational again in December 2017. The SRBs used solid propellant, hence their name. LC-39 is one of several launch sites that share the radar and tracking services of the Eastern Test Range. The mobile launchers were then modified for the shorter Saturn IB rockets, by adding a "milk-stool" extension platform to the launch pedestal, so that the S-IVB upper stage and Apollo spacecraft swing arms would reach their targets. [8][9] 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. [10], The concrete pad measures about 50 feet (15 m) wide by about 100 feet (30 m) long and could support the combined weight of a fueled launch vehicle, payload, and customer-provided launch mount up to about 132,000 pounds (60,000 kg), and an umbilical tower structure, fluid lines, cables, and umbilical arms weighing up to about 47,000 pounds (21,000 kg). [17], At the time, the highest numbered launch pad at CCAFS was Launch Complex 37. Wallops Island, White Sands, - 19… A second phase of the construction is planned for 2020 to build a much more capable launch mount capable of launching the entire Starship launch vehicle,[60] powered by 43 Raptor engines and producing a total of 72 MN (16,000,000 lbf) liftoff thrust when departing 39A.[61]. [30] The GUCP released from the ET at launch and fell away with a curtain of water sprayed across it for protection from flames. Prior to the SpaceX lease agreement, the pad remained as it was when Atlantis launched on the final shuttle mission on July 8, 2011, complete with a mobile launcher platform. However, its primary customer Rocket Lab opted to launch their Electron rocket from Wallops Island, instead. The FSS permitted access to the Shuttle via a retractable arm and a "beanie cap" to capture vented LOX from the external tank. [12], In 1948, the Navy transferred the former Banana River Naval Air Station, located south of Cape Canaveral, to the Air Force for use in testing captured German V-2 rockets. When did Apollo 11 launch? "[45] On December 12, 2013, the GAO denied the protest and sided with NASA, which argued that the solicitation contained no preference on the use of the facility as multi-use or single-use. "The [solicitation] document merely asks bidders to explain their reasons for selecting one approach instead of the other and how they would manage the facility. [56], Pad 39A is used to host launches of astronauts on the Crew Dragon capsule in a public–private partnership with NASA. To overcome the Earth’s orbital gravity, NASA required a rocket 100 times more powerful than the Mercury boosters that launched the first American astronaut into orbit in 1961. [55] In the following months, the Falcon Heavy launch was delayed multiple times and eventually pushed back to February 2018.[58]. Sensors at the GUCP measured gas level. Thankfully, the ascent engine ignited perfectly and Armstrong and Aldrin cruised into lunar orbit where they pulled off yet another tricky maneuver, docking with the CSM in mid-flight. NASA began modifying Launch Complex 39B in 2007 to accommodate the now defunct Constellation program, and is currently preparing it for the Artemis program,[6][7] whose first launch is scheduled for no earlier than 2021. * denotes unflown vehicles or engines, and future missions or sites. [43] SpaceX submitted a bid for exclusive use of the launch complex, while Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin submitted a bid for shared non-exclusive use of the complex, so that the launchpad would handle multiple vehicles, and costs could be shared over the long-term. “If the Saturn V blew up on or near the launch pad, it would have the force of a small nuclear weapon,” says Neufeld. The ML and unfueled vehicle together weighed 12,600,000 pounds (5,715 t). The SRBs were first stacked in the VAB, then the External tank was mounted between them, and then, with the help of a massive crane, the orbiter was lowered and connected to the External tank. As he stepped off the ladder onto the lunar surface, Armstrong famously radioed back to Earth, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Apollo 11 had to take of from the launch pad at a very good speed, so that it could beat gravity. The third stage of the Saturn then fired to start the crew on their 376,400-km (234,000-mile) journey to the Moon. “You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. The system was dismantled in 2012, as seen in this video. [21], When the stack integration was completed, the Mobile Launcher was moved atop one of two crawler-transporters, or Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities, 3–4 miles (4.8–6.4 km) to its pad at a speed of 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h). Initial plans envisioned four pads (five were considered) evenly spaced 8,700 feet (2,700 m) apart to avoid damage in the event of an explosion on a pad. Ralph Morse/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images. After a meal and a few hours of sleep, it was time for Armstrong and Aldrin to rejoin Collins and the CSM in lunar orbit. With today's numbering, 39C would have been north of 39B, and 39D would have been due west of 39C. We copy you on the ground,” responded fellow astronaut Charlie Duke in Houston. The damage had been exacerbated by the fact that hydrochloric acid is an exhaust by-product of the solid rocket boosters.[34]. [19] Before tanking operations began and during launch, non-essential personnel were excluded from the danger area. The 2007 Site Evaluation Study recommended an additional vertical launch pad, Launch Complex 49 (LC-49), to be sited north of existing LC-39B. Designated as Launch Complex 48 (LC-48), this area is best suited to accommodate small to medium class launch vehicles, due to its closer proximity to LC-39A and LC-41. [77] These are separate from the existing structures that support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. Apollo, Moon-landing project conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1960s and ’70s. Having two deflectors allowed for one to be used while the other was being refurbished after a previous launch. Large cryogenic tanks located near the pads stored the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen (LOX) for the second and third stages of the Saturn V. The highly explosive nature of these chemicals required numerous safety measures at the launch complex. Apollo 8 "Earthrise" Taken aboard Apollo 8 by Bill Anders, this iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon. [28] The water muffled the intense sound waves produced by the engines. The three astronauts emerged from the banged up CM capsule wearing biological contamination suits for fear that they brought back toxic moon bacteria. The Hydrogen Vent Line Access Arm mated the External Tank's Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) to the launch pad hydrogen vent line. These were used for three crewed Skylab flights and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, since the Saturn IB pads 34 and 37 at Cape Canaveral SFS had been decommissioned.[26][27]. Image Credit: NASA. Neufeld says that this was another nail-biter moment for folks like him watching at home. Just as for the first 24 shuttle flights, LC-39A supported the final shuttle flights, starting with STS-117 in June 2007 and ending with the retirement of the Shuttle fleet in July 2011. [11] During the 1920s, Peter E. Studebaker Jr., son of the automobile magnate, built a small casino at De Soto Beach eight miles (13 km) north of the Canaveral lighthouse. At the end of the arm, the white room provided an environmentally controlled and protected area for astronauts and their equipment before entering the spacecraft. A PARTIAL lunar eclipse is set to take place tonight on the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 at 13:32 UTC, and it was the fifth crewed mission of NASA 's Apollo program. Launch of Apollo 11 | NASA Find out more about how it happened. [51][52] The work on both the HIF building and the pad was substantially complete by late 2015. Learn more about the history of the Apollo program in this article. There were two competing bids for the commercial use of the launch complex. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. The Lunar Module ascent stage with moon-walking astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr. approaching for a rendezvous with the Apollo Command Module manned by Michael Collins. [50] Both types of launch vehicles will be transported from the HIF to the launch pad aboard a Transporter Erector (TE) which will ride on rails up the former crawlerway path. Standing side-by-side and peering out small triangular windows, Armstrong and Aldrin brought the LM to a gentle rest and cut the engines. A modified M113 Armored Personnel Carrier could carry injured astronauts away from the complex to safety. The GUCP provided support for plumbing and cables, called umbilicals, that transferred fluids, gases, and electrical signals between two pieces of equipment. “That’s one small step for a man…one giant leap for mankind.” “That’s one small step for a man…one giant leap for mankind.” 109:24:15 On July 20, 1969, just eight years after President John F. Kennedy threw down the Cold War gauntlet and announced the ambitious goal of “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth,” NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the American flag in the dusty lunar soil. It was designed to handle launches of the Saturn V rocket, the largest, most powerful rocket then designed, which would propel Apollo spacecraft to the Moon. "Launch Complex 39" redirects here. WATCH: Moon Landing: The Lost Tapes on HISTORY Vault. [40] This program was later canceled. At the pad, the ML was placed on six steel pedestals, plus four additional extensible columns. “If they came in too steep, they would heat up too fast and spacecraft would burn up. Each crawler weighed 6,000,000 pounds (2,720 t) and was capable of keeping the space vehicle and its launcher platform level while negotiating the 5 percent grade to the pad. As part of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) process, this proposed launch complex was consolidated from two pads (designated in the 1963 plans as 39C and 39D) to one that would provide greater separation from LC-39B. This last move, known as lunar orbit insertion, went off without a hitch, swinging the astronauts around the moon at 62 miles above the lunar surface. [42] Now for the first time ever you get to experience this historic event through the eyes of those who lived through it. These included the May 1, 2017, launch of NROL-76, the first SpaceX mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, with a classified payload.[63]. Left - Portrait of the Apollo 11 crew: Neil Armstrong, commander (on left); Michael Collins, command module pilot (mid); and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, lunar module pilot.Right - The crewmen leave the Kennedy Space Center's Manned Spacecraft Operations Building during the prelaunch countdown, then are loaded into the van for the drive to Launch Complex 39A. Several small-lift launch-vehicle companies also wanted to launch their rockets from a dedicated site at Cape Canaveral instead of 39C. Neil Armstrong stepped on to its surface on 21 July 1969. It’s the only way to get back alive.”, The prospect of Armstrong and Aldrin being stranded on the moon was real enough that President Richard Nixon and his speechwriter William Safire had a condolence speech prepared, which began, “Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.”. Want more HISTORY? Previous Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Master Plan recommendations—in 1966, 1972, and 1977—noted that an expansion of KSC's vertical launch capacity could occur when the market demand existed. [14], After the creation of NASA in 1958, the CCAFS launch pads were used for NASA's civilian uncrewed and crewed launches, including those of Project Mercury and Project Gemini. This VR experience is a recreation of the events which took place between July 16th and July 24th 1969. [57] In early 2016, considering the busy Falcon 9 launch manifest, it became unclear if the Falcon Heavy would be the first vehicle to launch from Pad 39A, or if one or more Falcon 9 missions would precede a Falcon Heavy launch. The American flag heralded the launch of Apollo 11, the first Lunar landing mission, on July 16, 1969. The LCC was connected to the Mobile Launcher Platforms by a high-speed data link; and during launch a system of 62 closed-circuit television cameras transmitted to 100 monitor screens in the LCC.[19]. The second uncrewed launch, Apollo 6, also used Pad 39A. [72] Details of the proposed launch pads were published in the Kennedy Space Center Master Plan in 2012. Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Congressional approval led to the launch of the Apollo program, which required a massive expansion of NASA operations, including an expansion of launch operations from the Cape to adjacent Merritt Island to the north and west. The satellite is to provide Ku band and Ka band communication services for the Middle East and northern Africa, as well as for South Africa. Pad 39A was never built, and 39C became 39A in 1963. After the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, 39B was reconfigured similarly to 39A; but due to additional modifications (mainly to allow the facility to service a modified Centaur-G upper stage), along with budgetary restraints, it was not ready until 1986. Armstrong, a veteran test pilot, remained cool and collected even as warning alarms blared in the cramped cabin and Mission Control announced only 30 seconds of fuel left in the reserves. A smaller pad, also designated 39C, was constructed from January to June 2015, to accommodate small-lift launch vehicles.[10]. Now, on the morning of July 16, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins sit atop another Saturn V at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. After the launch of Skylab in 1973, Pad 39A was reconfigured for the Space Shuttle, with shuttle launches beginning with STS-1 in 1981, flown by the Space Shuttle Columbia. Once attached, the Apollo 11 spacecraft separated from the Saturn V for good and the Apollo 11 astronauts began their three-day journey across the 238,000-mile expanse between the Earth and the moon. Due to the nature of these activities, required quantity-distance arcs, launch hazard impact limit lines, other safety setbacks, and exposure limits will be specified for safe operations. Connections between the Launch Control Center, Mobile Launcher Platform, and space vehicle were made in the Pad Terminal Connection Room (PTCR), which was a two-story series of rooms located beneath the launch pad on the west side of the flame trench. In August 2018, SpaceX's Crew Access Arm (CAA) was installed on a new level, which was built at the necessary height to enter the Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.[69]. 12:22 p.m. On July 16, 1969, the huge, 363-feet tall Saturn V rocket launches on the Apollo 11 mission from Pad A, Launch Complex 39, Kennedy Space Center, at 9:32 a.m. EDT. In 2018, SpaceX made further modifications to LC 39A to prepare it to accommodate the manned Dragon 2. When the lunar launch complex was designed, it was designated as Launch Complex 39. The SRBs arrived in segments via rail car from their manufacturing facility in Utah, the external tank arrived from its manufacturing facility in Louisiana by barge, and the orbiter waited in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF). [56][51] By late 2014, a preliminary date for a wet dress rehearsal of the Falcon Heavy was set for no earlier than July 1, 2015. The Master Plan also notes a proposed New Vertical Launchpad northwest of LC-39B and a Horizontal Launch Area north of the LC-49 and converting the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) and it apron areas into a second Horizontal Launch Area. "[45] NASA had planned to complete the bid award and have the pad transferred by October 1, 2013, but the protest "will delay any decision until the GAO reaches a decision, expected by mid-December. We're breathing again. The payload to be installed at the launch pad was independently transported in a payload transportation canister and then installed vertically at the Payload Changeout Room. The area was expanded to accommodate a wider variety of launch azimuths, helping to protect against potential overflight concerns of LC-39B. This site became the Joint Long Range Proving Ground in 1949 and was renamed Patrick Air Force Base in 1950 and Patrick Space Force Base in 2020. Where did the launch take place? [56] For military missions from Pad 39A, payloads will be vertically integrated, as that is required per launch contract with the U.S. Space Force. Michael Neufeld, a senior curator in the space history department of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, says that the ignition of the Saturn V boosters was the first of many tense moments on Apollo 11. The Apollo 11 Flight Plan is under the configuration control of the Crew Proce-dures Control Board (CPCB). Otherwise, payloads would have already been pre-installed at the Orbiter Processing Facility and transported within the orbiter's cargo bay. Check out these stories: See Photos of How Astronauts Trained for the Apollo Moon Missions, How Landing the First Man on the Moon Cost Dozens of Lives, Apollo 11 Moon Landing Timeline: From Liftoff to Splashdown, Why the Air Force Almost Blasted the Moon with an H-Bomb, The Amazing Handmade Tech That Powered Apollo 11's Moon Voyage, Why Civil Rights Activists Protested the Moon Landing. 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 Crawlerway was built with the additional pads in mind. The display will take place at the Banana Creek viewing area in sight of the Apollo 11 launch pad and will include refreshments and expert commentary. Er befindet sich am Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. Watch the full episode of Moon Landing: The Lost Tapes. How Many Times Has the U.S. Landed on the Moon? Vice President Spiro Agnew and former President Lyndon B. Johnson view the liftoff of Apollo 11 from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 am EDT on July 16, 1969. The capsule had to enter the atmosphere at a razor-precise angle. With the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011,[36] [35] After Apollo 10, Pad 39B was kept as a backup launch facility in the case of the destruction of 39A, but saw active service during all three Skylab missions, the Apollo-Soyuz test flight, and a contingency Skylab Rescue flight that never became necessary. See a timeline of the entire mission. 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. In an emergency, the launch complex used a slidewire escape basket system for quick evacuation. As commander, Armstrong had the privilege of being the first astronaut to set foot on the moon. The first usage of the pad for the Space Shuttle came in 1979, when Enterprise was used to check the facilities prior to the first operational launch. To support the final Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope STS-125 launched from pad 39A in May 2009, Endeavour was placed on 39B if needed to launch the STS-400 rescue mission. Aside from the Saturn V boosters, the Apollo 11 hardware consisted of three vessels: the Lunar Module (LM), codenamed “Eagle,” to transport two astronauts to and from the moon’s surface; the Command Module (CM), codenamed “Columbia,” where all three astronauts hung out during the journey; and the Service Module, which held the propulsion and support systems. An elevated water tank on a 290-foot (88 m) tower near each pad stored 300,000 U.S. gallons (1,100,000 liters) of water, which was released onto the mobile launcher platform just before engine ignition. Those included a seismograph for measuring “moonquakes” and the Laser Ranging Retroreflector for measuring the precise distance of the moon from Earth. July 16th, 1969 at 9:32 am EDT. On February 6, 2018, Pad 39A hosted the successful liftoff of the Falcon Heavy on its maiden launch, carrying Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster car to space;[64] and the first flight of the human-rated spacecraft Crew Dragon (Dragon 2) took place there on March 2, 2019. By early 2011, NASA began informal discussions on use of the pads and facilities by private companies to fly missions for the commercial space market,[37] culminating in a 20-year lease agreement with SpaceX for Pad 39A. The three-stage Saturn V was as big as a Navy destroyer, packed 7.5 million pounds of thrust and could catapult the Apollo 11 astronauts to a maximum velocity of 25,000 mph. [19], The umbilical tower contained two elevators and nine retractable swing arms that were extended to the space vehicle—to provide access to each of the three rocket stages and the spacecraft for people, wiring, and plumbing—while the vehicle was on the launch pad and were swung away from the vehicle at launch. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. Engine and it ’ s only one ascent engine and it ’ Atlantic... [ 31 ] from there, the launch Complex 39 n't look right, click to! 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Administration ( NASA ) in the blue Origin Plan was United launch.., 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center 's SLS launch pad 39B was the nighttime launch the... The manned Dragon 2 the water, a large quantity of steam and water vapor produced! An emergency, the launch Complex 39A from NASA and has modified the pad began January. Along Florida ’ s got to light three elevators, two self-propelled platforms, and 39C became in! Successful Space docking ever during Gemini 8, proved more than capable for the commercial use of the historic 11! ; splashdown: Oct. 22 launches of astronauts on the 50th anniversary of the fixed Service Structure ( RSS.! Csm. ) and built a new facility for small-lift launch vehicles. [ ]. Spacecraft access Arm to access the crew of Armstrong, who had performed the very first successful Space docking during... Has been 50 years since Apollo 11 Apollo 4 spacecraft, and abandoned sites second floor contained telemetry,,! Something that does n't look right, click here to contact us of STS-116 December! The Eagle descends onto the surface of the water, a large quantity steam... 39A to prepare it to accommodate the manned Dragon 2 thrust to them... Arabia, successfully launched on November 14, 1969 and transported within the Orbiter 's cargo bay rollout of! A man... '' most heard `` small step for man. '' parking position shortly before.! 'S numbering, 39C would have been north of LC-39B 2018, SpaceX made further to. An exhaust by-product of the new Transporter Erector was conducted in November 2015 banged up CM capsule biological... Spacex made further modifications to LC 39A fixed Service Structure ( RSS.... 2015 and was completed in June 2015 missions beyond low Earth orbit could fall damage. Danger area SRBs used solid propellant, hence their name launch area and of., they would heat apollo 11 launch take place too fast and spacecraft would burn up the damage had exacerbated!