Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 19

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Launch Complex 19
Gemini 10 launch time exposure - GPN-2006-000036.jpg
A multiple exposure photograph of the configuration of Pad 19 up until the launch of Gemini 10.
Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 19
Launch site Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Location 28°30′24″N80°33′15″W / 28.50667°N 80.55417°W / 28.50667; -80.55417
Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST)
 Summer (DST)
UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Short nameLC-19
Operator United States Space Force
Total launches27
Launch pad(s)1
Orbital inclination
range
28° - 57°
Launch history
StatusInactive
First launchAugust 14, 1959
HGM-25A Titan I
Last launchNovember 11, 1966
Titan II GLV / Gemini XII [1]
Associated
rockets
HGM-25A Titan I
LGM-25C Titan II
Titan II GLV
Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 19
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4km
2.5miles
28
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27
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26
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25
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24
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23
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22
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21
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20
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19
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18
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17
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16
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15
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14
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13
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12
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11
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10
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9
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8
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7
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6
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5
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4
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3
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2
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  Active pads
  Active pads not used for launches
  Inactive leased pads
  Inactive unleased pads
1
LC-39B
2
LC-39A
3
LC-48
4
SLC-41
5
SLC-40
6
LC-47
7
SLC-37
8
LC-34
9
SLC-20
10
LC-19
11
LC-16
12
LC-15
13
LC-14
14
LC-13 (LZ-1 & LZ-2)
15
LC-12
16
LC-11
17
LC-36
18
LC-1, LC-2, LC-3, and LC-4
19
SLC-46
20
LC-21 and LC-22
21
LC-31 and LC-32
22
LC-18
23
SLC-17
24
LC-26
25
LC-5 and LC-6
26
LC-30
27
LC-25
28
LC-29

Launch Complex 19 (LC-19) is a deactivated launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. One of the eight pads considered part of Missile Row, it is most famous for being used as part of Project Gemini, being the launch site of all ten crewed missions in 1965 and 1966. [1] Additionally, it was used for tests of the HGM-25A Titan I in the late 1950s and early 1960s. [2]

Contents

History

Launch Complex 19 was originally built from 1957 to 1959 for the United States Air Force as part of the Titan I missile program, being used for test launches alongside LC-20 to the north and LC-15 and LC-16 to the south. The first launch out of the complex was made on August 14, 1959, when a Titan I exploded on the pad thanks to a premature engine shutdown after liftoff. [3] This extensively damaged LC-19, which took a few months to repair before the first successful flight occurred on February 2, 1960. Going from 1959 to 1962, the complex saw a total of 15 launches of the Titan I, all of them being suborbital flights and 12 of them being labeled as successes.

On January 29, 1962, the Air Force launched their final Titan I from LC-19, as the ICBM was slated to be replaced by the hypergolic fueled LGM-25C Titan II. Unlike the previous era where all four Titan pads were used for missile tests, the military decided to only utilize LC-15 and 16 for that purpose at Cape Canaveral. Later in the year, NASA announced that they had chosen LC-19 to be the launch site of Project Gemini, of which its eponymous spacecraft would make use of a human-rated Titan II named the Titan II GLV.

As part of Gemini, the facility underwent various modifications to support crewed spaceflight. Most notably, the booster erector had a white room installed at the top in order to support the egress of astronauts. The first launch in this configuration (and the first orbital launch from the complex) occurred on April 8, 1964 for Gemini 1, an uncrewed mission that tested both the capsule's structural integrity and the flight-worthiness of the GLV. LC-19 joined LC-5 and LC-14 as the third pad at the Cape to support a crewed spaceflight with the launch of Gemini 3 on March 23, 1965, which carried Gus Grissom and John Young into low Earth orbit.

Throughout the entirety of the program, LC-19 was the site of all 12 of the 19 launches associated with Project Gemini (the other seven launching from LC-14), all 12 numbered missions, and all ten missions carrying astronauts. [4] Among the notable flights that started at the facility include the first American spacewalk with Gemini 4, the first close rendezvous with Gemini 7 and 6A, and the first docking with Gemini 8. Also noteworthy was Gemini 11, which set a non-Apollo distance record of 1,374 km (854 mi) from Earth that stood until Polaris Dawn in 2024. The final mission of the program that launched from the complex was Gemini 12, which launched on November 11, 1966 and carried Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin into orbit. Following the liftoff, LC-19 was deactivated from use and has sat dormant in the years since.

On May 30, 1977, the launch tower and umbilical used for supporting the Titan launches were demolished in order to prevent dangers associated with rusting. Additionally, LC-19 alongside the rest of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was designated as a National Historic Landmark in April 1984. [4] The booster erector remained in place until its dismantlement in August 2003, though the white room was partially restored and relocated to the Air Force Space and Missile Museum (now Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum) situated at the sites of LC-26, LC-5, and LC-6. [5]

Currently, LC-19 is the only complex in Missile Row that has not previously been leased to a NewSpace company, and is currently sandwiched between Firefly Aerospace's lease of SLC-20 and Relativity Space's presence at LC-16. However, the United States Space Force has made intentions of leasing the pad out in the near future. [6]

Launch history

Statistics

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966

List of launches

All Titan I flights operated by the United States Air Force. All Titan II flights operated by NASA.

No.DateTime (UTC)Launch VehicleMission/PayloadResultRemarks
114 August 195916:00 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testFailureFirst launch from LC-19. Release mechanism failure resulted in earlier than planned liftoff, leading to engines shutting down early and rocket falling back onto pad.
22 February 196018:08 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccessFirst successful launch from LC-19.
310 August 196022:46 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
428 September 1960Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
524 October 196023:16 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
620 January 196120:53 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testFailureAnomalous disconnect of launch pad umbilical caused failure of second stage ignition.
720 February 1961Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
828 March 1961Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
924 June 196103:28 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testFailureHydraulics failure in second stage led to loss of rocket's control.
1025 July 196119:05 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
118 September 1961Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
127 October 196101:30 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
1319 November 1961Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
1415 December 1961Unknown HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccess
1529 January 196223:30 HGM-25A Titan I Suborbital testSuccessFinal Titan I flight from LC-19.
168 April 196416:00 Titan II GLV Gemini 1 SuccessFirst flight of Project Gemini and maiden flight of the Titan II GLV. First civilian launch from LC-19 and first orbital launch from LC-19. Gemini spacecraft remained attached to second stage, and holes were drilled into heat shield to ensure breakup on reentry.
1719 January 196514:04 Titan II GLV Gemini 2 SuccessSuborbital launch. First flight of an operational Gemini spacecraft. Capsule Gemini SC-2 was later reused on the only Manned Orbiting Laboratory mission, OPS-0855.
1823 March 196514:24 Titan II GLV Gemini 3 SuccessFirst crewed launch of Project Gemini and from LC-19. First American crewed flight with multiple astronauts, with Gus Grissom and John Young on board.
193 June 196515:16 Titan II GLV Gemini 4 SuccessConducted first American spacewalk, being done by astronaut Ed White. First multiday American spaceflight, lasting for four days.
2021 August 196514:00 Titan II GLV Gemini 5 SuccessSet record for crewed duration in space, at 7 days 22 hours. Flight cut short by a day because of Hurricane Betsy.
214 December 196519:30 Titan II GLV Gemini 7 SuccessOriginally intended to fly after Gemini 6. Set record for crewed duration in space, at 13 days 18 hours. Participated in first crewed rendezvous in space with Gemini 6A.
2215 December 196513:37 Titan II GLV Gemini 6A SuccessOriginally intended to dock with an Agena Target Vehicle, but plans were changed after ATV launch failed. Participated in first crewed rendezvous in space with Gemini 7.
2316 March 196616:41 Titan II GLV Gemini 8 SuccessFirst docking in space, docking with an Agena Target Vehicle. First orbital flight of an American civilian, astronaut Neil Armstrong. Mission cut short following failure of a thruster, causing spacecraft to dangerously tumble.
243 June 196613:39 Titan II GLV Gemini 9A SuccessMission to dock with the Augmented Target Docking Adapter. Originally intended to dock with an Agena Target Vehicle, but plans were changed after ATV launch failed. Flew backup crew after prime crew members Elliot See and Charles Bassett died in a plane crash. Docking called off following discovery of ATDA's fairings failing to separate.
2518 July 196622:20 Titan II GLV Gemini 10 SuccessMission to dock with an Agena Target Vehcile. First completely successful mission involving an ATV. First double rendezvous, visiting both their and Gemini 8's ATV, and performed first burn of a spacecraft while docked.
2612 September 196614:42 Titan II GLV Gemini 11 SuccessMission to dock with an Agena Target Vehicle. Performed first direct-ascent rendezvous. First test with artificial gravity in space, using a tether between the Gemini spacecraft and ATV. Set a non-Apollo crewed altitude record of 1,374 km that stood until Polaris Dawn in 2024.
2711 November 196620:46 Titan II GLV Gemini 12 SuccessMission to dock with an Agena Target Vehicle. Orbital boost was cancelled due to engine problem after insertion into low Earth orbit. Final flight of Project Gemini, and final launch of the Titan II GLV. Most recent launch from LC-19.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Cohort Program - Step Level 2" (PDF). NASA Safety Center. NASA. 20 February 2018. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  2. "Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum". ccspacemuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  3. "Cape Canaveral LC19". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  4. 1 2 "LAUNCH COMPLEX 19 FACT SHEET | Spaceline" . Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  5. "Launch Complex 19". heroicrelics.org. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  6. "NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 Industry Day". Space and Missile Systems Center. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .