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 Interactive map of Launch Complex 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | 28°26′57″N80°33′44″W / 28.4493°N 80.5623°W /28.4493; -80.5623 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short name | LC-18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | NASA U.S. Space Force | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total launches | 47 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch pad | Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Launch Complex 18 (LC-18) is a launch complex at theCape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida that was active during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was used byViking,Vanguard,Thor andScout rockets. The complex consists of two launch pads,LC-18A, which was originally built by theUnited States Navy for theVanguard rocket, andLC-18B, which was originally by theUnited States Air Force used for tests of thePGM-17 Thor missile.
The first launch from LC-18 was a Viking rocket from LC-18A on December 8, 1956, on a test flight forProject Vanguard. A further Viking launch was conducted in May 1957, and the Vanguard made its maiden flight from the complex in September. Following this, theUnited States first satellite launch attempt was made from LC-18A, usingVanguard TV3, on December 6, 1957. The launch failed after the rocket lost thrust and exploded on the launch pad. All twelve Vanguard launches were conducted from LC-18A, with the complex being transferred toNASA after it took over responsibility for Vanguard following its formation in 1958. After the Vanguard's retirement in 1959, LC-18A was transferred to the US Air Force for use by Scout rockets.
LC-18B was used for 17 tests of Thor missiles between June 4, 1958 and February 29, 1960. Following this, it was also converted for use by Scout rockets.
Sixteen Scouts were launched from LC-18; ten from LC-18A and six from LC-18B. Fifteen of the launches were suborbitalsounding flights, and one was anorbital launch with theMercury-Scout 1 satellite for NASA. This failed to reach orbit and was destroyed byrange safety 43 seconds after launch. The launches from LC-18A used theBlue Scout Junior configuration, and were conducted between September 21, 1960 and June 9, 1965. The launches from LC-18B consisted of threeBlue Scout I rockets and threeBlue Scout IIs, launched between January 7, 1961 and April 12, 1962.
Following the retirement of the Scout family at Cape Canaveral (opting instead to have launches conducted from theWallops Flight Facility), LC-18 has sat dormant. As of August 2024, theUnited States Space Force plans to fully demolish the site and the neighboringSLC-17 in favor of extending Lighthouse Road and reconnecting its two separate sections back together.[1]
Scout rockets | |||||||||||
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