Launch Complex 14

Aerial view ofMercury-Atlas 9 at LC-14 in 1963
Launch site	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Location	28°29′28″N80°32′49″W / 28.49111°N 80.54694°W /28.49111; -80.54694
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Short name	LC-14
Operator	United States Space Force (owner) Stoke Space (tenant)
Total launches	32
Launch pad	1
Orbital inclination range	28° – 57°
Launch history Status Undergoing renovation First launch 11 June 1957 Atlas A Last launch 11 November 1966 Atlas-Agena /Gemini 12GATV Associated rockets Future:Nova Retired:SM-65 Atlas,Atlas-Able,Atlas-Agena,Mercury-Atlas

Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) is alaunch site atCape Canaveral Space Force Station inFlorida. Part of theMissile Row lineup of launch sites in the region, LC-14 was used for various crewed and uncrewedAtlas launches, including the February 1962Friendship 7 flight aboard whichJohn Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth.^[1][2]

LC-14 is currently leased toStoke Space for theirNova launch vehicle.

LC-14 was the first Atlas pad in operation and hosted the initialAtlas A andB test flights in 1957-58^[1] It was also the only one of the original four pads to never have a booster explode on it. By 1959, it was decided to convert the pad for Atlas D missile and space launches, and a large service tower was added early in the year.^[3] The first Atlas flown from the renovated LC-14 was Missile 7D on May 18; however, a problem with the launcher hold-down arms damaged the missile and caused its explosion shortly after launch.[1] This was traced to improper procedures during the renovation of the pad and was quickly fixed. The first space launch off LC-14 was theBig Joe Mercury test in September. As the designated Mercury-Atlas facility, LC-14 was thus the only Atlas pad having the infrastructure needed for crewed launches. The firstMIDAS satellites, oneAtlas-Able launch, and a few more ICBM tests were conducted from LC-14 before it was completely turned over to NASA.

LC-14 is most well known as the launch site forNASA'sMercury-Atlas 6 flight, which made Glenn the first American in orbit. It was also the launch site of the remaining threeMercury-Atlas flights and various uncrewed Atlas launches. Later, it was the site forAtlas-Agena launches for theAgena Target Vehicles forProject Gemini.

Following decommissioning and abandonment as an active launch site, LC-14 slowly fell into decay. The proximity to salty ocean air created an ideal environment for corrosion of metal components, and the complex's red metal gantry structures were dismantled for safety reasons during the 1970s.^[4]

In 1997, the45th Space Wing embarked on a partial restoration of LC-14 under the aegis of the 45th Operations Support Squadron and its commander, Lt Col Dennis Hilley, USAF. Although extensive repairs were made byBoeing andJohnson Controls, with additional assistance fromLockheed Martin andBrown and Root, the restoration utilized no military construction or military operations and maintenance funding and was affected strictly with military, DoD civilian, NASA civilian, DoD contractor and NASA contractor volunteers. Several months later, the exterior and interior of the original blockhouse and its nearby astronaut parking area had been restored, with the blockhouse converted into a conference facility for military, NASA and contractor use.

Present at the dedication in May 1998 were former Mercury astronauts ColonelGordon Cooper, USAF (Ret.) and CommanderScott Carpenter, USN (Ret.); Mrs. Betty Grissom, widow of Lt ColGus Grissom, USAF; and comedianBill Dana, known for his "José Jiménez, the reluctant astronaut" character. Appearing periodically onThe Ed Sullivan Show in the 1960s, the character caught on as a subject of humor among the seven Mercury astronauts.^[5][6]

Among other Mercury astronauts, former U.S. Senator (and Colonel, USMC (Ret.))John Glenn could not attend due to preparations for his then-pendingSpace Shuttle flight (STS-95), and CaptainWally Schirra, USN (Ret.) could not attend due to a scheduling conflict.Deke Slayton had died in 1993, while Rear AdmiralAlan Shepard, USN (Ret.) extended his regrets due to illness. Largely unknown at the time was that Shepard was suffering from terminal leukemia, and he died shortly after the dedication.

In addition to the total interior renovation, the blockhouse contains historical documents, photos and memorabilia from Project Mercury, as well as photos of the blockhouse area before, during and after the restoration. Future improvements to the pad itself are also planned as time and contributory funding permits.

The entrance road to LC-14 is marked by several memorials and signs commemorating Project Mercury and the four of six crewed Mercury missions launched there. This includes a large sculpture of the Project Mercury symbol constructed of titanium, under which is buried a time capsule containing technical documents of the Mercury program. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2464, 500 years after the official conclusion of the program.^[7] With its withdrawal from operational status, a memorial marker in granite was also placed at the beginning of the concrete ramp that leads to LC-14's launch pad and two outdoor kiosks were erected to contain historical photos.

On March 7, 2023,Stoke Space was allocated the launch complex for their upcoming fully reusableNova launch vehicle.^[8]Space Launch Delta 45 of theU.S. Space Force made the decision to optimize the use of excess launch property and theEastern Range alongFlorida's coastline.^[9]

Launch sites atCape Canaveral Space Force Station andKennedy Space Center

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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-2)

15

LC-12

16

LC-11

17

LC-36

18

LC-1,LC-2,LC-3, andLC-4

19

SLC-46

20

LC-21 andLC-22

21

LC-31 andLC-32

22

LC-18

23

SLC-17

24

LC-26

25

LC-5 andLC-6

26

LC-30

27

LC-25

28

LC-29

All missile tests and MIDAS launches operated by theUnited States Air Force. All other flights operated byNASA.

• 
  Sign
• 
  Mercury 7 plaque at the Mercury Monument
• 
  John Glenn plaque
• 
  Mercury 7 Monument in 1964 with Pad 14 in the background
• 
  Mercury memorial at the road leading to CCAFS LC-14
• 
  LC-14 withMercury-Atlas 9
• 
  LC-14 in 1966, launching theATV forGemini 12
• 
  O'Malley's Guiding Light at the entrance

• Gagarin's Start, the Soviet/Russian equivalent launch site of first crewed spaceflights
• T. J. O'Malley - "O'Malley's Guiding Light" is at LC 14

• NASA-Spaceport News:Kennedy Space CenterArchived 2017-02-16 at theWayback Machine

 This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.

• Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
• Project Mercury
• Launch complexes of the United States Space Force

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