Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 9
Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 9 (LC -9) is a disused start ramp of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Merritt Iceland, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. It was used 1956-1958 for the test program of the cruise missile Navaho.
History
Launch Complex 9 was built in the mid-1950s by the U.S. Air Force for test launches of unmanned Navaho cruise missile (german cruise missile ). A Navaho missile consisted of two parts, a launch vehicle as well as the actual cruise missile with two ramjet engines to drive. The concept was that the winged cruise missile is brought by the booster rocket to an altitude of 13 km, then separated at a speed of Mach 3 and the flight continues independently. In successful missions of the cruise missiles would eventually land on a runway at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The U.S. Air Force recognized Launch Complex 9 on June 29, 1956 officially, the first launch took place on 6 November of the same year and ended with the destruction of the rocket after 26 seconds. The third Navaho launch attempt on April 25, 1957, an explosion of cruise missile on the launch pad, where the launch pad was damaged. The following starts were not successful, so the program was discontinued in 1957 and the Navajo was replaced by the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. The last launch of Launch Complex 9 was held on 18 November 1958 the launch facilities were partially dismantled in 1959 to make room for the launch pads Minuteman ICBM. A total of ten Navaho missile launched from Launch Complex 9
The complex
The Navaho missile was at the center of the start table, on a baffle for the pressure wave. The exhaust gases from the engines were derived over the flame trench and cooled by a water jacket. On the other side of the launch pad, there was the so-called directional arm, who set up the rocket before launch and could be used for maintenance. In addition, a fixed to rails weather protection could be driven over the launch site. The start of the Navaho missile were monitored from an adjacent bunker, the log house, which now serves as a storage room. From there, the launch pad could be observed through a periscope or angled mirror.