Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40

Space Launch Complex 40

SLC-40 in May 2012 with Falcon 9 rocket carrying Dragon C2+
Launch site	Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Location
Short name	SLC-40
Operator	United States Air Force
Total launches	68
Launch pad(s)	1
Min / max orbital inclination	28°–57°
Launch history Status Active First launch Titan IIIC / Transtage , 18 June 1965 Last launch Falcon 9 v1.1 Full Thrust / Orbcomm OG2 M2, 22 December, 2015 Associated rockets Titan III Titan 34D Titan IV Falcon 9

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) is a launch pad at the north end of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The launch pad was used by the United States Air Force for 55 Titan III and Titan IV launches between 1965 and 2005.

After 2007, the US Air Force leased the complex to Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to launch the Falcon 9 rocket. The pad has been used for 13 Falcon 9 launches from 2010 through early 2015.

A Titan IV rocket with the Cassini–Huygens payload at SLC-40 in 1997

Titan

Space Launch Complex 40 with Titan rocket mobile service tower in 2008, prior to demolition to prepare for the construction of the SpaceX Falcon launch pad.

The first launch from LC-40 was the maiden flight of the Titan IIIC (June 18, 1965), carrying two transtage upper stages to test the functionality of the vehicle.

Two interplanetary missions were launched from the pad:

• The failed Mars Observer spacecraft (September 25, 1992)
• The Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn (October 15, 1997)

A total of 30 Titan IIICs, 8 Titan 34Ds and 17 Titan IVs were launched between 1965 and 2005.

The final Titan launch from SLC-40 was the Lacrosse-5 reconnaissance satellite (Titan IV-B, April 30, 2005).

The tower was disassembled during late 2007 and early 2008. Demolition of the Mobile Service Structure (MSS), by means of a controlled explosion, occurred on April 27, 2008, by Controlled Demolition, Inc.

LC 40 with SpaceX Falcon 9 launch infrastructure, February 2015

Falcon

On April 25, 2007, the US Air Force leased the complex to SpaceX to launch the Falcon 9 rocket.

During April 2008, construction started on the ground facilities necessary to support the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Renovations included installation of new liquid oxygen and kerosene tanks and construction of a hangar for rocket and payload preparation.

The first Falcon 9 rocket arrived at SLC-40 in late 2008, and was erected for the first time on January 10, 2009. It successfully reached orbit on its maiden launch on June 4, 2010, carrying a dummy payload qualification unit.

SLC-40 is the launch facility of the SpaceX Dragon, a reusable automated cargo vehicle which is currently being used to provide two-way logistics to and from the International Space Station; a role previously filled by the Space Shuttle until its retirement in 2011. SpaceX successfully launched the first test flight for the Dragon from SLC-40 on December 8, 2010. Its first attempt to dock with the International Space Station was successfully launched on May 22, 2012, following an abort after engine ignition three days earlier.

SpaceX modified the launch pad in 2013 in order to support launches of the Falcon 9 v1.1 launch vehicle, a 60 percent heavier rocket with 60 percent more thrust on realigned engines and 60 percent longer fuel tank than the v1.0 version of the Falcon 9, requiring a modified transporter/erector.

In March 2014, SpaceX announced that they intend to upgrade and modify the LC40 pad in order to accommodate Falcon Heavy launches in addition to the existing Falcon 9 launch capability.