On May 10, 1946, the first successful US launch of a V-2 ballistic missile took place at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. In the future, numerous samples of rocketry were tested here, but due to the geographical location of the White Sands test site, it was unsafe to carry out test launches of long-range ballistic missiles from here. The flight paths of the missiles launched in New Mexico passed over densely populated areas, and in the event of emergencies inevitable during the test process, the fall of missiles or their debris could lead to large casualties and destruction. After the V-2 rocket launched at White Sands deviated from its intended trajectory and crashed in Mexico, it became abundantly clear that a different test site was needed for long-range ballistic missiles.
In 1949, President Harry Truman signed an executive order to establish a Long Range Combined Range from the Banana River Naval Base at Cape Canaveral. This site on the east coast of the United States was perfect for testing launch vehicles and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The relative proximity of the launch sites to the equator made it possible to launch large loads into space, and the ocean expanses to the east of the test site guaranteed the safety of the population.
Banana River Naval Air Force Base was founded on October 1, 1940, after the leadership of the US Navy decided that it was necessary to organize patrols of coastal waters in the southeast of the country. For this, the seaplanes Consolidated PBY Catalina, Martin PBM Mariner and Vought OS2U Kingfisher were used.
In 1943, runways were built near the coast and several squadrons of Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers were deployed here. In addition to patrol anti-submarine flights, pilots and navigators of naval aviation were trained at the air base. In 1944, over 2,800 military personnel served at Banana River, and 278 aircraft were based.
After the end of World War II, the need for constant patrol flights disappeared, the personnel and equipment of the base were reduced. For some time, the remaining seaplanes were used for search and rescue purposes. In 1948, the naval aviation airbase was first mothballed, and in 1949 it was transferred to the Air Force. To separate the functions of the nearby missile range and the airbase, it was renamed Air Force Base Patrick in 1950 in honor of Major General Mason Patrick, the first commander of the US Army Aviation.
The runway of the Patrick airbase was used to support the life of the Florida rocket range. The necessary goods and equipment were delivered here by air. After the launch of the space program, Patrick AFB became the most visited American airbase by high-ranking officials.
In addition to transportation services, it houses the headquarters of the 45th Space Wing, which manages all launches carried out at Cape Canaveral for the military, NASA and the European Space Agency. The Air Force Applied Technology Center, also based at Patrick AFB, detects nuclear events around the world. In the interests of the center, a network of seismic and hydroacoustic sensors and reconnaissance satellites operate. Aircraft from the 920 Squadron are based at Patrick AFB. This US Air Force unit, equipped with HC-130P / N aircraft and HH-60G helicopters, was formerly responsible for rescuing Shuttle crews. Now the 920th Squadron is involved in patrol and rescue operations at sea and is engaged in transport operations.
Construction of launch sites at a missile range located 20 kilometers north of the Patrick airbase runway on Marrit Island, connected to the mainland by a dam and bridge, began in late 1949. On July 24, 1950, the first launch of a two-stage research rocket Bumper V-2, which was a conglomerate of the German V-2 and the American WAC Corporal, took place from the Florida test site.
In the late 40s, it was clear that the German V-2 liquid-propellant rocket had no prospects for practical use for military purposes. But American designers needed experimental material to test the separation of the stages of missiles and the interaction of controls at high speeds in a rarefied atmosphere. During the two launches of the Bumper V-2, carried out on July 24 and 29, the second stage of the rocket, it was possible to reach an altitude of 320 km.
In 1951, the facility in Florida was renamed Range Eastern Test - "Eastern Missile Range". In the early 50s, tests of the Viking series suborbital missiles began in the United States. After the first artificial earth satellite was launched in the USSR on October 4, 1957, the Americans on December 6, 1957 tried to repeat this achievement with the help of the Vanguard TV3 three-stage launch vehicle, which used the technical solutions developed in the Vikings.
With a large crowd of audiences and reporters, the rocket exploded on the launch pad. A satellite with a working radio transmitter was later discovered nearby.
On February 1, 1958, the first American satellite Explorer-I was launched into low-earth orbit by the Jupiter-C launch vehicle, launched from the LC-26A pad at Cape Canaveral.
In addition to research space programs at the Eastern Missile Range, medium-range ballistic missiles, submarine ballistic missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles were tested: PGM-11 Redstone, PGM-17 Thor, PGM-19 Jupiter, UGM-27 Polaris, MGM-31 Pershing, Atlas, Titan and LGM-30 Minuteman. After NASA was founded in 1958, military crews from the launching positions of the "Eastern Rocket Range" launched the Delta LV, created on the basis of the PGM-17 Thor MRBM.
In general, both the USA and the USSR at the first stage of space exploration were characterized by the use of ballistic missiles created for military purposes. It may be recalled that the royal "seven", which delivered the first satellite to near-earth orbit, was originally created as an ICBM. The Americans, in turn, used the converted Titan and Atlas ICBMs to send cargo into space, including for the early manned programs Mercury and Gemini.
Initially, the Mercury program used a modified launch vehicle based on the Redstone MRBM. As in the combat version, the rocket engines weighing about 30,000 kg were fueled by alcohol and liquid oxygen.
But due to the insufficient power of the Mercury-Redstone launch vehicle, only suborbital flights were possible on it. Therefore, a heavier launch vehicle Mercury-Atlas (Atlas LV-3B) weighing about 120,000 kg was used to launch the capsule with the astronaut into near-earth orbit.
The choice of a carrier rocket based on the Atlas SM-65D ICBM as a delivery vehicle into orbit was quite a logical step. The engines of a two-stage rocket, fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen, could deliver a 1300 kg load into space.
The practical implementation of the Gemini project began in 1961. The goal of the project was to create a spacecraft with a crew of 2-3 people, capable of staying in space for up to two weeks. Titan II ICBMs with a launch weight of 154,000 kg and engines powered by hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide were chosen as the launch vehicle. In total, within the framework of the Gemeni program, there were two unmanned and 10 manned launches.
After the manned launches were transferred to the civilian "Kennedy Cosmodrome", the priority in the delivery of unmanned vehicles into space was given to rockets of the "Titan" family.
The use of the launch vehicles Titan III and Titan IV, created on the basis of ICBMs, in Florida continued until October 2005. In order to increase the carrying capacity, the Titan IV LV design includes two solid-propellant boosters. With the help of the Titans, mainly military spacecraft were launched into orbit. Although there were exceptions: for example, in October 1997, a rocket successfully launched from the SLC-40, launching the Cassini interplanetary vehicle to Saturn. The disadvantage of the carriers of the "Titan" family was the use of toxic fuel and an extremely caustic oxidizer that ignites flammable substances in their engines. Titan IV was abandoned after the appearance of the Atlas V and Delta IV missiles.
In the summer of 1962, 8 launch complexes were already operating in Florida. A total of 28 launch sites have been built at Cape Canaveral. Now on the territory of the "Eastern Missile Range" four sites are maintained in working order, two more positions are active on the territory of the "Kennedy Space Center". Until recently, Delta II, Delta IV, Falcon 9 and Atlas V rockets were launched from launch sites in Florida.
On April 25, 2007, the US Air Force leased the SLC-40 launch pad to SpaceX. It was then converted to launch the Falcon 9. The Falcon 9 is a two-stage launch vehicle powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene. A rocket with a launch mass of 549,000 kg is capable of placing a load of 22,000 kg into a near-earth orbit.
The first flight of Falcon 9 was planned for the second half of 2008, but it was repeatedly postponed due to a huge number of shortcomings that had to be eliminated in preparation for launch. Only at the beginning of 2009, the Falcon 9 LV was for the first time installed in a vertical position at the SLC-40 launch pad.
The Falcon 9 launch vehicle was designed for reuse. During the first launches, it was possible to return both stages with the help of parachutes.
Later, the first stage was modernized for its return and vertical landing on the landing pad or offshore platform. Re-use of the second stage is not envisaged, since this will significantly reduce the weight of the output payload.
On September 1, 2016, the Falcon 9 rocket exploded at launch. As a result of the explosion and severe fire, the launch complex was seriously damaged and is now being restored.
The Falcon Heavy rocket, formerly known as the Falcon 9 Heavy, is a reusable heavy-class rocket. It is a modification of "Falcon 9", equipped with additional boosters, with engines running on kerosene and liquid oxygen. Thanks to the increased power, a rocket weighing 1420700 kg should put a load of 63,800 kg into orbit. The first Falcon Heavy is tentatively scheduled to launch in November 2017. How soon this happens will depend on the progress of the repairs to the SLC-40 launch pad.
In addition to cooperation with private space companies, regular launches are carried out in the interests of the military department from the positions of the Eastern Rocket Range. As a rule, carriers with a cargo in the form of reconnaissance and communications satellites start from here.
On April 22, 2010, the first successful launch of the Boeing X-37 unmanned reusable spacecraft took place. It was launched into low-earth orbit using an Atlas V launch vehicle launched from the SLC-41 pad. Apparently, the launch of the first model was of a test nature, and it was not planned to solve significant applied problems. On June 16, 2012, the aircraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, spending 468 days and 13 hours in orbit, having flown around the Earth more than seven thousand times. After the completion of the first flight, changes were made to the thermal protection of the spaceplane.
According to the US Air Force, the task of the X-37B during the second flight was to develop sensor instruments, data exchange and control systems. The X-37 is capable of operating at altitudes of 200-750 km, can quickly change orbits, and actively maneuver in the horizontal plane. The vehicle with a takeoff weight of 4989 kg, a length of 8.9 m, a height of 2.9 m and a wingspan of 4.5 m has a cargo compartment measuring 2.1 × 1.2 m, where a 900 kg load can be placed. The characteristics of the Kh-37V allow it to carry out reconnaissance missions, deliver and return small cargoes. A number of experts are inclined to believe that anti-satellite interceptors can be delivered to near-earth orbit in the spaceplane's cargo hold.
On May 7, 2017, X-37B, after completing the fourth space mission, having spent 718 days in orbit, landed on the runway of the Kennedy Space Center. This was the first X-37B landing in Florida. Previously, the spaceplane landed on the Vandenberg airbase in California. The fifth launch of the unmanned spaceplane is scheduled for September 2017. According to the plans of the US Space Command, the launch of the X-37B into orbit should be carried out using the Falcon 5 launch vehicle.
In the course of preparation for the implementation of the American lunar program, it became clear that larger launching facilities were required than those that existed on the territory of the military "Eastern Missile Range". For this reason, construction has begun on the Kennedy Space Center to the northwest of the launch pads at Cape Canaveral. The construction of a new spaceport next to the existing military-controlled missile test site has significantly saved financial resources and used the common infrastructure.
After the establishment of the Kennedy Center, launch sites and auxiliary facilities occupied an area along the coast with an area of 570 square meters. km - 55 km long and approximately 11 km wide. In the best times, more than 15,000 civil servants and specialists worked at the cosmodrome.
To launch heavy carriers at the new civilian cosmodrome, the construction of a large-scale launch complex No. 39 (LC-39) has begun, consisting of two launch facilities: 39A and 39B.
Special requirements were imposed on the provision of security measures. So, tanks with liquid hydrogen and oxygen were carried at a distance of at least 2660 meters. The refueling processes and preparation for launch were automated as much as possible to eliminate the "human factor" and minimize risks when personnel are in the danger zone. At each launch site, a 12-meter-deep reinforced concrete shelter was built, equipped with autonomous life support systems. Here, if necessary, 20 people could take refuge.
To deliver heavy launch vehicles in an upright position from the hangar, where they were assembled to the launch pad, a unique tracked carrier 125 meters long was used, moving at a speed of 1.6 km / h. The distance from the assembly hangar to the starting position was 4, 8-6, 4 km.
Since the launch facilities of the Kennedy Cosmodrome were originally designed for the implementation of a manned space program and were not distracted for test launches of ICBMs and launches of military satellites, prelaunch preparation here was carried out much faster and more thoroughly. There was no need to look for "windows" in the intervals between military launches, as it was during the implementation of the "Mercury" and "Dzhemeni" programs. After launching the launching position No. 39, the launch complexes No. 34 and No. 37 on the territory of the Eastern Rocket Range, from where the Saturn launch vehicles were launched, were deactivated.
The first unmanned test launch of the Saturn V LV from site 39A took place on November 9, 1967. During this test launch, the performance of the launch vehicle and the correctness of the preliminary calculations were confirmed.
In 1961, the US space agency NASA launched the Apollo program, which aimed to land astronauts on the lunar surface. To implement these ambitious plans, under the leadership of Wernher von Braun, a three-stage super-heavy Saturn V launch vehicle was created.
The first stage of "Saturn-5" consisted of five oxygen-kerosene, with a total thrust of 33,400 kN. After working 90 seconds, the first stage engines accelerated the rocket to a speed of 2, 68 km /. The second stage used five oxygen-hydrogen engines with a total thrust of 5115 kN. The second stage worked for approximately 350 seconds, accelerating the spacecraft to 6, 84 km / s and bringing it to an altitude of 185 km. The third stage included one engine with a thrust of 1000 kN. The third stage was switched on after the separation of the second stage. After working for 2, 5 minutes, she lifted the ship into earth's orbit, after which it turned on again for about 360 seconds and directed the ship to the moon. "Saturn-5" with a launch weight of about 2900 tons at that time was the heaviest launch vehicle, capable of launching into low-earth orbit a load weighing about 140 tons, and for interplanetary missions - about 65 tons. In total, 13 rockets were launched, of which 9 - to the moon. According to NASA reports, all launches were considered successful.
The Apollo program turned out to be very costly, and the years of its implementation became the "golden time" for the American space agency. So, in 1966, NASA received $ 4.5 billion - about 0.5 percent of US GDP. In total, from 1964 to 1973, $ 6.5 billion was allocated. In today's prices, the approximate cost of one Saturn-5 launch was $ 3.5 billion. price. The last launch of the Saturn IB LV, which took part in the Soyuz-Apollo mission, took place on July 15, 1975. The remaining elements of the two Saturn launch vehicles were not used due to the excessive cost of launches and were disposed of.
In order to reduce the cost of delivering cargo to orbit in the United States, the Space Shuttle program was launched. To launch space shuttles from the launch site at Cape Canaveral, the LC-39A position was re-equipped. At 2.5 km from the assembly hangar, a runway with a length of about 5 km was erected for the delivery of the Shuttles by air. A redesign of the LC-39B launch pad was also planned, but this was delayed due to budgetary constraints. The second position was ready only by 1986. Launched with her, the reusable spacecraft Challenger exploded in the air. The last launch of the "space shuttle" "Discovery", which delivered cargo to the ISS from the LC-39B position, took place on December 9, 2006. Until 2009, the launch site equipment was maintained in working order in case of an emergency shuttle launch. In 2009, site No. 39B was redesigned for testing the Ares IX launch vehicle. The super-heavy launch vehicle was developed by NASA as part of the Constellation program for launching heavy loads and manned flights into low-earth orbit. But the Americans did not work out with the Ares missiles and in 2011 the program was curtailed.
After 2006, only the LC-39A position was used, from where the reusable spacecraft Discovery, Endeavor and Atlantis were launched. The last launch of Atlantis took place on July 8, 2011, a reusable space shuttle delivered cargo to the ISS to support the station's life, as well as a magnetic alpha spectrometer.
After the abandonment of the Sozvezdiye program and the decommissioning of all Shuttles, the future of Launch Complex 39 remained uncertain. After negotiations between NASA and private space companies, a lease was signed with SpaceX in December 2013. Elon Musk took over position No. 39A for a period of 20 years. It is supposed to launch the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy LV. For this, the launch facilities were rebuilt, and a covered hangar for the horizontal assembly of missiles appeared nearby.
The launch facilities of the LC-39B site are currently undergoing reconstruction. For this purpose, starting from 2012, $ 89.2 million will be allocated. According to NASA's plans, a super-heavy launch vehicle will be launched from here to Mars. Not far from the LC-39В in early 2015, construction began on the LC-39В launch pad for the Minotaur light-class missiles. These solid-fuel missiles weighing about 80,000 kg are based on the decommissioned LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBMs.
The Kennedy Spaceport and Cape Canaveral East Rocket Range are very well located and are one of the most convenient locations in the United States for rocket launches, as spent stages of missiles launched eastward fall into the Atlantic Ocean. However, the location of launch sites in Florida has its downside and is associated with significant natural and meteorological risks, since storms and hurricanes are quite frequent here. In the past, buildings, structures and infrastructure of launch complexes were repeatedly seriously damaged by hurricanes, and planned launches had to be postponed. During the passage of Hurricane Francis in September 2004, the Kennedy Space Center facilities were severely damaged. The outer cladding and part of the roof with a total area of 3,700 m² were blown off the building of the vertical assembly by the wind, and the interior rooms with valuable equipment were flooded with water.
At the moment, the territory of the Kennedy Cosmodrome is open to visitors. There are several museums, outdoor exhibition areas and cinemas here. Bus excursion routes are organized on the territory closed to the public.
The $ 40 bus tour includes: a visit to the launch sites of Complex 39, tracking stations and a trip to the Apollo-Saturn V center. The huge Apollo-Saturn V museum tells about the stages of space exploration and is built around the reconstructed Saturn-5 launch vehicle. The museum contains a number of valuable exhibits, such as the Apollo inhabited capsule.
There is no doubt that the Cape Canaveral launch site will remain the largest launch site in the United States in the near future. It is from here that it is planned to launch expeditions to Mars. At the same time, it can be noted that NASA has lost its monopoly on the delivery of goods into orbit in the United States. At the moment, most of the launch sites in Florida are leased by private space companies.
