Launch Complex 39

Launch Complex 39
Name	Launch Complex 39
Location	Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida
Coordinates	28°36′N 80°36′W
Builder	NASA
Operator	NASA; leased to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance
Opened	1967
Status	Active

Launch Complex 39 is a multi-pad launch facility at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island that served as the primary orbital launch site for the Apollo program, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle program and has been reconfigured for 21st-century vehicles such as SpaceX Falcon 9, SpaceX Falcon Heavy, and planned NASA Artemis missions. The complex features multiple pads, assembly buildings, and infrastructure that supported missions to the Moon, low Earth orbit including ISS logistics, and deep space exploration concepts. Its history threads through programs led by Wernher von Braun's teams, industrial partners like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin, and commercial operators including SpaceX and Blue Origin proposals.

History

The origin of the complex traces to site selection during the 1960s for the Saturn V launches that would enable the Apollo program lunar missions, influenced by planners from NASA Headquarters and the Marshall Space Flight Center and engineers associated with Redstone Arsenal. Construction began amid Cold War-era priorities and the Space Race dynamics involving the Soviet Union and key events such as the Mercury program impetus. The inaugural operations supported Apollo 4 and the crewed Apollo 11 lunar landing effort through integrated work across contractors including IBM, Grumman, and Rocketdyne. Post-Apollo, the complex adapted for Skylab and later underwent conversion to support the Space Shuttle orbiter program, collaborating with Rockwell International and the Johnson Space Center. Following the retirement of the Shuttle fleet, leases and public–private partnerships transitioned pads to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance for commercial launch services and revived exploration policy under NASA's Commercial Crew Program and Artemis program directives.

Construction and Design

Initial design was driven by requirements for the Saturn V by teams at the Marshall Space Flight Center with structural concepts implemented by contractors like Huntsville-area engineers and specialists from Thiokol and North American Aviation. Major elements included a Vehicle Assembly Building designed by SOM teams, massive crawler-transporters engineered by Boeing subcontractors, and fixed and mobile launch platforms developed with input from Rocketdyne and Pratt & Whitney. The pad architecture integrated flame trenches, deluge systems, and umbilical towers informed by lessons from earlier facilities like Cape Canaveral Air Force Station complexes. Design accommodated cryogenic propellant handling for liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks used on Saturn V and later on Space Shuttle External Tank architectures, incorporating standards from AIAA guidance and oversight from Federal Aviation Administration launch regulations.

Launch Pads and Facilities

The complex comprises the Vehicle Assembly Building, multiple crawlerways, two principal pads originally numbered by NASA as Pads 39A and 39B, and an additional pad developed as 39C during modernization efforts. Facilities have included the Launch Control Center used by flight directors from Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center, payload processing at the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility and integration in the Vehicle Assembly Building coordinated with agencies such as NOAA for payloads and contractors like Sierra Nevada Corporation. Pad 39A was repurposed and leased to SpaceX to support Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 operations; Pad 39B was remodeled for Space Launch System development for NASA Artemis missions, and 39C was planned for small-class vehicle access influenced by commercial startups including Rocket Lab interest. Supporting infrastructure included service towers, flame deflectors, propellant storage tanks, and telemetry arrays used by networks including Deep Space Network nodes.

Missions and Vehicles

The facility hosted historic crewed vehicles and expendable launchers such as the Saturn V for the Apollo 11 lunar landing, the Saturn IB for Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the Space Shuttle fleet including Endeavour, Columbia, Atlantis, and Discovery, and later commercial boosters like Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. Uncrewed and crewed missions launched from the complex included Skylab deployments, STS-1 inaugural Shuttle flights, TDRS satellite deployments, Commercial Resupply Services missions to the International Space Station, and test flights for Artemis I precursor elements. International partnerships involved agencies such as ESA, JAXA, and CSA for payloads and cooperative experiments flown on vehicles processed at the complex.

Upgrades and Modernization

Modernization projects integrated investments under NASA commercialization strategies, involving public–private agreements with SpaceX and United Launch Alliance and upgrades funded through congressional appropriations and agency programs such as the Commercial Crew Program. Modifications included pad reinforcement, construction of bespoke integration platforms for new vehicle architectures like the Space Launch System, enhancements to the Vehicle Assembly Building to accommodate different stack heights, and upgrades to range safety and telemetry coordinated with United States Space Force range assets at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Environmental remediation, storm hardening after events like Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne, and infrastructure resilience were addressed alongside workforce transitions managed by contractors including Bechtel and Jacobs Engineering.

Environmental and Safety Considerations

Environmental management encompassed coastal and wetland protections coordinated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act for modifications, and mitigation for impacts on species such as Florida manatee habitat and nesting sites for loggerhead sea turtle. Safety systems included flight termination systems overseen by FAA and range safety procedures, industrial safety protocols from OSHA standards, and emergency response coordination with Brevard County agencies. Fire suppression, hazardous propellant handling procedures developed with companies like Air Liquide and Air Products and Chemicals, and environmental monitoring programs maintained the balance between operational tempo and preservation of regional ecosystems.

Category:Kennedy Space Center Category:Space launch facilities