Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 22

Last updated
Launch Complex 22
Launch site Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Location 28°27′40″N80°32′23″W / 28.4610°N 80.5398°W / 28.4610; -80.5398
Operator US Space Force
Launch pad(s)1
Launch history
StatusInactive
Launches23
First launchMarch 13, 1957
Last launchJune 24, 1960
Associated
rockets
XSM-73 Bull Goose
MGM-13 Mace

Launch Complex 22 (LC-22) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida is a launch complex that was used for horizontal launches of cruise missiles between 1957 and 1960. It consisted of two launch rails, from which XSM-73 Bull Goose and MGM-13 Mace missiles were tested. Unlike the other Mace launch site, Launch Complex 21, no concrete structure was built to enclose the launch rails when it was converted to launch the Mace in 1959. This earned the pad the nickname of "the softsite".

History

Construction of LC-22 started in 1956, leading to acceptance into military service on 26 February 1957, with Launch Complex 21. The first test of a Bull Goose rocket from LC-22 occurred on 13 March 1957, and the last occurred on 28 November 1958.

Following the end of Bull Goose test flights, Complex 22 was renovated for the Mace missile. The first Mace launch from LC-22 occurred on 29 October 1959, with final launch from the complex occurring on 24 June 1960.

After the last launch, the complex was retained as a backup site until the 1970s, in case a future missile needed to use it. As of 2009, the blockhouse, and many of the support structures erected at the pad, were still standing.

Related Research Articles

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Military rocket launch site in Florida, USA

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's 45th Space Wing, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.

XSM-73 Goose Type of Cruise Missile

The Fairchild SM-73 was a sub-sonic, jet-powered, ground-launched decoy cruise missile.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 34 Launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Launch Complex 34 (LC-34) is a launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. LC-34 and its companion LC-37 to the north were used by NASA from 1961 through 1968 to launch Saturn I and IB rockets as part of the Apollo program. It was the site of the Apollo 1 fire, which claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967.

Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17 American space launch site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA

Space Launch Complex 17 (SLC-17), previously designated Launch Complex 17 (LC-17), was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida used for Thor and Delta rocket launches between 1958 and 2011.

Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41 American space launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA

Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41), previously Launch Complex 41 (LC-41), is an active launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As of 2020, the site is used by United Launch Alliance (ULA) for Atlas V launches. Previously, it had been used by the USAF for Titan III and Titan IV launches.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 14 Former rocket launch site in Florida, USA

Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) is a launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. LC-14 was used for various manned and unmanned Atlas launches, including the Friendship 7 flight aboard which John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 5 Former launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

Launch Complex 5 (LC-5) was a launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida used for various Redstone and Jupiter launches.

Gagarins Start Launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan

Gagarin's Start, also known as Baikonur Site 1 or Site 1/5 is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by Roscosmos.

Vandenberg Launch Complex 576

Launch Complex 576 is a group of rocket launch pads at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The pads were used from 1959 until 1971 to launch SM-65 Atlas missiles. The site was also known as Complex ABRES. Pads in Area 576 include 576A-1, 576A-2 and 576A-3, 576B-1, 576B-2 and 576B-3, 576-C, 576-D, 576-E, OSTF-1 and OSTF-2.

Launch Complex 10 (LC-10) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida was a launch pad used by SM-64 Navaho missiles, and later Jason sounding rockets and the Alpha Draco research missile. It was located north of Launch Complex 17, where Launch Complexes 31 and 32 are now located. The pad consisted of a small concrete launch structure with an elevated launch pedestal and built-in flame trench, centered on a small oval-shaped concrete pad.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 11 Former missile test launch site in Florida, USA

Launch Complex 11 (LC-11) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, is a launch complex used by Atlas missiles between 1958 and 1964. It is the southernmost of the launch pads known as Missile Row. When it was built, it, along with complexes 12, 13 and 14, featured a more robust design than many contemporary pads, due to the greater power of the Atlas compared to other rockets of the time. It was larger, and featured a concrete launch pedestal that was 6 metres (20 ft) tall and a reinforced blockhouse. The rockets were delivered to the launch pad by a ramp on the southwest side of the launch pedestal.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 12

Launch Complex 12 (LC-12) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida was a launch pad used by Atlas rockets and missiles between 1958 and 1967. It was the second-most southern of the pads known as Missile Row, between LC-11 to the south and LC-13 to the north. Along with Complexes 11, 13 and 14, 12 featured a more robust design than many contemporary pads, due to the greater power of the Atlas compared to other rockets of the time. It was larger, and featured a concrete launch pedestal that was 6 metres (20 ft) tall and a reinforced blockhouse. The rockets were delivered to the launch pad by means of a ramp on the southwest side of the launch pedestal.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 13 Former rocket launch site in Florida, USA

Launch Complex 13 (LC-13) was a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the third-most southerly of the original launch complexes known as Missile Row, lying between LC-12 and LC-14. In 2015, the LC-13 site was leased by SpaceX and was renovated for use as Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2, the company's East Coast landing location for returning Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicle booster stages.

Site 41, also known as Lesobaza and SK-1, was a launch complex at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. It consisted of a single pad, Site 41/1, and was used by R-7 derived rockets between 1959 and 1989.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 16

Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida is a launch complex built for use by LGM-25 Titan missiles, and later used for NASA operations before being transferred back to the US military and used for tests of MGM-31 Pershing missiles. Six Titan I missiles were launched from the complex between December 1959 and May 1960. These were followed by seven Titan II missiles, starting with the type's maiden flight on March 16, 1962. The last Titan II launch from LC-16 was conducted on May 29, 1963.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 18

Launch Complex 18 (LC-18) is a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used by Viking, Vanguard, Thor and Scout rockets. The complex consists of two launch pads, LC-18A, which was originally built by the US Navy for the Vanguard rocket, and LC-18B, which was originally by the US Air Force used for tests of the PGM-17 Thor missile.

Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 21

Launch Complex 21 (LC-21) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida is a launch complex that was used for horizontal launches of cruise missiles between 1958 and 1963. It initially consisted of a single launch rail, from which XSM-73 Bull Goose missiles were tested. Between 1959 and 1960, the complex was rebuilt for the MGM-13 Mace, with a second rail added, and a large concrete structure erected around the launch rails, earning the pad the nickname of "the hardsite".

Launch Complex 25 (LC-25) was a four-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles Polaris, Poseidon and Trident from 1958–1979.

6555th Aerospace Test Group

The 6555th Aerospace Test Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Eastern Space and Missile Center and stationed at Patrick AFB, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 October 1990.

Launch Complex 29 (LC-29) was a one-pad launch site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida built for test flights of the US Navy's submarine-launched Polaris ballistic missiles from 1958–1980. It also launched Chevaline missiles, which were British Polaris A-3 missiles.

References