Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 17
Cape Canaveral AFS Launch Complex 17 (LC -17) is an inactive launch complex of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Merritt Iceland, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA and consists of the two launch pads LC -17A and LC- 17B.
With more than 300 rocket launches since the late 1950s, LC -17 was by far the most widely used launch complex at Cape Canaveral.
History
Originally this number 1956 was built for the testing program of the Thor intermediate-range missile. The first launch took place in 1957 from Pad 17B and failed.
Until the 1960s launched several versions of Thor Launch Complex 17 in the 1960 addition was added in the civil, derived from the Thor Delta rocket. 1965, the starting place of the USAF was handed over to NASA, as he was almost exclusively used for civilian purposes. 1988 was the launch site 17, however, probably because of the beginning of the large number of delta- offs, returned with the military GPS navigation satellites at the U.S. Air Force. In 1996, the previously red-painted Assembly and Start towers in gray painted.
Then launch complex 17 was used for the launch of the Delta II rocket. On 17 August 2009 it was announced that for the Delta II rocket at Cape Canaveral launch site only 17B is to be used. On September 10, 2011, insofar as last start took place.
The complex
The complex consists of two launch pads: 17A and 17B. Both are concrete tables start with a Flammablenkkanal on which a metal - launch tower is located. At the launch sites, each including a wheeled metal frame, the mounting tower, which serves to assemble the rocket on the launch pad. If the rocket is mounted, he moves away from the launch pad, and the rocket is launched. Launch site 17B has now been rebuilt and could also (as opposed to starting position 17A) launch the Delta II Heavy and Delta III with their larger solid boosters.
Start list
- List of launches from Launch Complex 17