 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(June 2020) |
A horizontal integration facility (HIF) is an integration facility where missiles and rockets are assembled before launch.
| Site | Pad | Vehicle | HIF Coordinates | Description | Images | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station | SLC-37 | Delta IV | 28°31′25″N80°34′15″W / 28.5234928°N 80.5709624°W | A seven-story white building containing 2 bays measuring 250 feet (76 m) by 100 feet (30 m) each. Construction was completed in June 2000. Its floors are said to be the most level in the United States, [1] varying less than 0.38 in (9.6 mm) across each bay. The first and second stages of the rocket, along with any boosters that are being used for that flight, are integrated in the HIF, and then the stack is moved to the pad and raised to vertical. The payload and fairing are assembled later. |  | [1] [2] |
| Cape Canaveral Space Force Station | SLC-40 | Falcon 9 | 28°33′39″N80°34′39″W / 28.5608909°N 80.577389°W | SpaceX built its first Falcon 9 HIF on the south side of the pad. It measures 225 feet (69 m) long by 75 feet (23 m) wide and stands about 50 feet (15 m) tall. A former payload integration facility is directly adjacent to the HIF. The HIF was extended to a length of at least 72 metres to accommodate the longer versions of the Falcon 9. |  | [3] [4] |
| Kennedy Space Center | LC-39A | Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy | 28°36′14″N80°36′15″W / 28.604025°N 80.604120°W | SpaceX built its second HIF on the Crawlerway leading to the Launch Complex 39A just outside of its perimeter. It can accommodate both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. It is able to support 5 boosters side by side. Inside the HIF the Falcon 9 / Falcon Heavy rockets are assembled and the payload, encapsulated in the fairing is connected to the rocket. |  | |
| Kwajalein Atoll | Omelek Island | Falcon 1 | 9°02′50″N167°44′34″E / 9.0473335°N 167.7427661°E | A HIF has been built by SpaceX. | Exterior Interior | [5] |
| Vandenberg Air Force Base | SLC-6 | Delta IV | 34°35′11″N120°37′39″W / 34.5864694°N 120.6276137°W | A "cavernous" [6] HIF exists. The HIF contains two bays that can accommodate the Delta IV and Delta IV Heavy. | Exterior | [6] |
| Wallops Flight Facility | Antares | 37°50′44″N75°28′31″W / 37.8454606°N 75.4751515°W [7] | HIF built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. The HIF is 250 feet (76 m) long by 150 feet (46 m) wide by 60 feet (18 m) tall. [8] It opened in 2011. |  | [9] |
Most Russian, Ukrainian and former Soviet launchers are integrated horizontally, including Dnepr, Proton, Rockot, Shtil' and Soyuz. The Electron launch vehicle is also integrated horizontally and European Ariane 6 would also use HIF to integrate its rocket stack.
A reusable launch vehicle have parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as rocket engines and boosters can also be reused, though reusable spacecraft may be launched on top of an expendable launch vehicle. Reusable launch vehicles do not need to make these parts for each launch, therefore reducing its launch cost significantly. However, these benefits are diminished by the cost of recovery and refurbishment.
Delta IV is a group of five expendable launch systems in the Delta rocket family introduced in the early 2000s. Originally designed by Boeing's Defense, Space and Security division for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, the Delta IV became a United Launch Alliance (ULA) product in 2006. The Delta IV is primarily a launch vehicle for United States Air Force (USAF) military payloads, but has also been used to launch a number of United States government non-military payloads and a single commercial satellite.
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) is the first of Launch Complex 39's three launch pads, located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. The pad, along with Launch Complex 39B, were first designed for the Saturn V launch vehicle. Typically used to launch NASA's crewed spaceflight missions since the late 1960s, the pad was leased by SpaceX and has been modified to support their launch vehicles.
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pads, supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling. Launch vehicles are engineered with advanced aerodynamics and technologies, which contribute to large operating costs.
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 site and its collection of facilities were originally built as the Apollo program's "Moonport" and later modified for the Space Shuttle program.
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) was a NASA program to coordinate the development of vehicles for the delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station by private companies. The program was announced on January 18, 2006 and successfully flew all cargo demonstration flights by September 2013, when the program ended.
A payload fairing is a nose cone used to protect a spacecraft payload against the impact of dynamic pressure and aerodynamic heating during launch through an atmosphere. An additional function on some flights is to maintain the cleanroom environment for precision instruments. Once outside the atmosphere the fairing is jettisoned, exposing the payload to outer space.
Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) is a launch pad for rockets located at the north end of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) is a form of takeoff and landing for rockets. Multiple VTVL craft have flown. The most widely known and commercially successful VTVL rocket is SpaceX's Falcon 9 first stage.
This comparison of orbital launch systems lists the attributes of all individual rocket configurations designed to reach orbit. A first list contains rockets that are currently operational or in development; a second list includes all retired rockets. For the simple list of all conventional launcher families, see: Comparison of orbital launchers families. For the list of predominantly solid-fueled orbital launch systems, see: Comparison of solid-fueled orbital launch systems.
A number of suborbital spaceflights were conducted during 2008. These consist mostly of sounding rocket missions and missile tests, and include other flights such as an ASAT firing. Between the start of the year and 16 July, at least 43 publicly announced suborbital spaceflights were conducted, the first of them on 11 January.
Development of the Commercial Crew Program began in the second round of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, which was rescoped from a technology development program for human spaceflight to a competitive development program that would produce the spacecraft to be used in the Commercial Crew Program to provide crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS). To implement the program NASA awarded a series of competitive fixed-price contracts to private vendors starting in 2011. Operational contracts to fly astronauts were awarded in September 2014 to SpaceX and Boeing. Each company performed an uncrewed orbital test flight in 2019, and operational flights started in November 2020.
The International Space Station is a platform for scientific research that requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit. The primary fields of research include human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology. The 2005 NASA Authorization Act designated the American segment of the International Space Station as a national laboratory with the goal of increasing the use of the ISS by other federal agencies and the private sector.
Launch vehicle system tests assess the readiness of a launch system to safely reach orbit. Launch vehicles undergo system tests before they launch. A wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and a more extensive static fire tests a fully assembled launch vehicle and its associated ground support equipment (GSE) prior to launch. The spacecraft/payload may or may not be attached to the launch vehicle during the WDR or static fire, but sufficient elements of the rocket and all relevant ground support equipment are in place to help verify that the rocket is ready for flight.
Falcon 9 prototypes were experimental flight test reusable rockets that performed vertical takeoffs and landings. The project was privately funded by SpaceX, with no funds provided by any government until later on. Two prototypes were built, and both were launched from the ground.
SpaceX manufactures launch vehicles to operate its launch provider services and to execute its various exploration goals. SpaceX currently manufactures and operates the Falcon 9 Full Thrust family of medium-lift launch vehicles and the Falcon Heavy family of heavy-lift launch vehicles – both of which powered by SpaceX Merlin engines and employing VTVL technologies to reuse the first stage. As of 2020, the company is also developing the fully reusable Starship launch system, which will replace the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.
Antares A-ONE mission was the maiden flight of Orbital Sciences Corporation' Antares launch vehicle including the ascent to space and accurate delivery of a simulated payload, the Cygnus Mass Simulator (CMS), which was launched 21 April 2013. It was launched from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. The simulated payload simulates the mass of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. This dummy payload was sent into an orbit of 240 km × 260 km with an orbital inclination of 51.6°, the same launch profile it will use for Orbital's upcoming cargo supply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA.
As of 2020, SpaceX operates four launch facilities: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), Vandenberg Space Force Base Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E), Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), and Brownsville South Texas Launch Site. Space Launch Complex 40 was damaged in the AMOS-6 accident in September 2016 and repair work was completed by December 2017. SpaceX believes that they can optimize their launch operations, and reduce launch costs, by dividing their launch missions amongst these four launch facilities: LC-39A for NASA launches, SLC-40 for United States Space Force national security launches, SLC-4E for polar launches, and South Texas Launch Site for commercial launches.
This is a corporate history of SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company founded by Elon Musk.
