Questions tagged [launch-site]
Questions on launch complexes, spaceports or other locales for the launch of spacecraft.
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Why is the American space program launch site based in Florida and not Texas?
In other words, why didn't NASA make their main space launch area in Texas? It has a point below the 30th parallel, which means that it is close enough to the equator. Why did NASA pick Florida?
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What are the towers around the SpaceX launch pad used for?
I noticed four(?) towers around the SpaceX launch pad during yesterday's aborted launch
Image credit NBC News
What are the towers used for? Tracking? Radio communications?
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“Pillars of Baikonur” What is the purpose of the hundreds of short, white posts near the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad?
The caption given in the third image included in the Space.com page Expedition 56: The Space Station Mission in Photos reads as follows:
At the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad, remote-controlled ...
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Why does InSight plan to launch from Vandenberg
Why does the InSight Mars lander mission intend to launch from Vandenberg, which does not allow for prograde launches? Will it launch into polar or retrograde orbit? Why? It will do an interplanetary ...
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1answer
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Why is this part of the Space Shuttle launch pad suspended so high off the ground?
http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-107/images/high/KSC-02PD-1894.jpg
shows a large part of the launch pad suspended off the ground.
What is it for and why is there all that empty space ...
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Which has been the most gregarious rocket, launched from the most sites?
Which orbital launch vehicle has been "getting around" the most? Which rocket has put things in orbit from the largest number of different launch sites?
For the purposes of this question, allow for ...
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2answers
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Why won't SpaceX launch a rocket for a month?
The last launch of a Falcon 9 (Intelsat 35e) took place on July 5, but the next launch of a falcon 9 (CRS-12) won't take place until August 10. Elon said that SpaceX still had 12 launches to go this ...
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Why multiple lightning towers at launch sites?
Here is a picture of LC-40 at the Cape. The four tall towers are basically lightning rods. Why are four required? Wouldn't one be sufficient?
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Are Armageddon's simultaneous shuttle launches feasible?
In Armageddon, two space shuttles launch from adjacent pads mere seconds after one another.
This seems highly implausible for several reasons:
Pressure, heat, vibration and debris from the first ...
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Are there any known reasons why there are no spaceports in the European Union?
As far as I know, there are no spaceports in the European Union.
Why is it so?
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How are multiple launches handled?
A spacecraft may launch with multiple payload, as is evidenced by How does a single rocket place multiple satellites into orbit?
This question however is not about multiple payload carried in a ...
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1answer
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What is involved in clearing air space for an orbital launch?
When the Nov 25th, 2013 SpaceX Falcon 9 v1.1 launch was scrubbed on a Monday, next launch opportunity was reported as Thursday (Thanksgiving) since the Tues/Wed days are the busiest day in the year ...
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NASA Launch Control: was all of its capacity ever used?
The NASA Launch Control Center at Cape Canaveral has 4 Firing Rooms. Each can support the launch of a spacecraft. Similarly, the VAB was divided into four bays, each large enough to support assembly ...
16
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1answer
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What is Range maintenance?
As discussed in this question, there will be no launches from Cape Canaveral for several weeks during the summer of 2017 because Eastern Range is closed for maintenance. I assume it includes some work ...
15
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3answers
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Why do KSC crawler-transporters use caterpillar treads instead of rail tracks?
The two Kennedy Space Center crawler-transporters, used to transport Saturn V, Shuttle and SLS rockets to the launchpad, move on caterpillar treads:
Here's a SpaceFlight Insider video clip about ...
15
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1answer
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What should I consider in choosing what launch to see live?
I've never been to see a rocket launch. I'd like a checklist of what to consider in choosing where to go, what type of launch to pick, and what to allow for in terms of missed launch dates or other ...
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How close can I get to a rocket launch and not get killed?
There was a question regarding the closest distance regular people are allowed to be near a rocket. At that distance (Baikonur I, 1.1 miles), even if a rocket explodes, there is a small chance someone ...
14
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How much water is used at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)?
I recall seeing LOTS of water usage on a tour of Kennedy Space Center as a kid: during launches, etc.
I'm looking only for a magnitude of order, so I would be satisfied with "hella" or "not much more ...
14
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1answer
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What happened to boiled-off gases from the storage tanks at Launch Complex 39?
Both Apollo and the Shuttle launched from KSC complex 39, and used liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants. These cryogenic liquids were held in storage tanks near the perimeter of each ...
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1answer
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How does an array of concrete pillars protect a launch control bunker?
This answer explains that this regular grid of concrete posts at Baikonur LC-1 Gagarin's Start is designed to reduce damage to the launch control bunker beneath it in the event of a catastrophic ...
14
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1answer
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How often are space launches substantially delayed by protests physically at the launch site?
Update:
Following a one month loss of launch capability, from Spaceflight Now, April 25, 2017; Operations resume at European-run launch base in French Guiana:
Protest leaders demanded more 3 ...
13
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1answer
684 views
What are the rectangular wires around Atlas V launch site?
You can see those wires spanning between four towers directly around the rocket in the following screenshot (taken from this video). I assume they are some kind of antenna or for some kind of ...
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3answers
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What orbital launch-site can I lawfully visit?
All the orbital launch-sites I know of are to some degree also military bases, like Cape Canaveral and Plesetsk, and they have in any case restricted access. However, which of them can I visit, ...
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Are all rocket launch sites surrounded by water bodies?
Are all rocket launch sites surrounded by water bodies (such as sea)?
If so, what is the purpose of having a rocket launch site near a water body?
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Are there any benefits to launching from Vandenberg AFB instead of Cape Canaveral?
Launching from Cape Canaveral has many benefits, including launching over the ocean (in case something needs to be dropped off) and saving energy by being at a lower latitude than most of the United ...
12
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2answers
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Are the Russians planning to replace the Baikonur Cosmodrome?
For decades, the Baikonur Cosmodrome was the premier Soviet space launch site. Many historic launches took place there, and it earned its place in the history books. But then the Soviet Union fell ...
12
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1answer
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What is the alternate hangar SpaceX has available at the Cape?
In the web cast for the Falcon 9 Flight 8 launch campaign they showed an alternate hangar where spacecraft can be prepared and fueled, before being brought to the SpaceX hangar on LC-40 for ...
12
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2answers
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What orbital inclinations will be launched into from Scotland?
It has recently been announced that the A'Mhoine peninsula in Sutherland, Scotland will be host to the United Kingdom's first vertical launch site (assuming they can get anything done with just £30m ...
12
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1answer
471 views
What dangers are on a launch pad after a successful launch?
I was looking at some pictures of launches (like this one) and started looking at the stairwells, doors, and other places people are intended to go. It got me wondering what kind of dangers exist on a ...
12
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1answer
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With SpaceX running multiple launch sites, how are their launch teams structured?
SpaceX has several launch sites (and landing sites!)
In Florida they started at LC-40, and are working to activate LC-39A for launches, and LC-13 has been re-labelled LZ-1 for landings.
In ...
11
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4answers
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What decides if a launch has to be done instantaneously or during a window?
What determines if a launch has to be done instantaneously or has a launch window of minutes or hours? To what parts is it about celestial and ground issues?
Just one example of alleged switching ...
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4answers
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Is Cape Canaveral the ideal launch location in the US?
Is there any reason why we can't launch from other primary locations other than Cape Canaveral? I know we have begun launching some rockets from Virginia, but is the Space Coast really the ideal ...
11
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2answers
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How does a water based acoustic suppression system work?
Now a days every rocket launch (except Russian or cliff hanging launch) happens using water acoustic suppression system.
How does the water based acoustic suppression works?
What is the water ...
11
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2answers
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Do any of the developing space programs use horizontal launcher assembly and launchpad loading?
Do any of the developing space programs (i.e. not NASA, ESA or Roscosmos) use horizontal launcher assembly in the launcher integration building and launchpad loading like the Soyuz at the Baikonur ...
11
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1answer
673 views
How long to repair the pad/tower after the SpaceX disaster?
Following the SpaceX disaster there is some obvious damage to the pad/tower. How long will it take to repair damage like that, and what kind of process/inspection is required before launches are ...
10
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2answers
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Excluding Russia, has Europe launched a single satellite or spacecraft into Earth's orbit and beyond from its own continent?
I was going through the list of European rocket launch sites on Wikipedia, and I can't find a single reference for an orbited satellite launched from any of them. Honestly, I wasn't even aware of most ...
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1answer
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How close can I get to a rocket launch?
At NASA Wallops the visitor center is 4 miles from the pad.
Families of shuttle crews could watch from 3 miles away as their
loved ones where hurled into orbit.
At Biakonur I can apparently get to ...
10
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3answers
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How could we make a fair comparison between space rockets regarding their payload mass in low Earth orbit and Earth escaping?
I was searching for comparisons between space rockets regarding their payload mass in low Earth orbit and Earth escaping. First one to see capability of the space booster (the first stages) and second ...
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What benefits can be gained from launching below ground?
ICBMs are commonly launched from below ground. How much fuel could be saved if a missile is launched below ground instead of above? If the tube was deeper with modified launch by a separate chemical ...
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Why aren't sea launches used more often?
I was reading yet another awesome Tildal answer, and this picture caught my eye:
Zenit-3SL carrying Atlantic Bird 7 lifts off from Odyssey platform (Source: The ...
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2answers
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If China wanted to hush the purpose of a space launch, can it be inferred outside of China?
What I had in mind is that China's territory is rather large and they could place a launch site deep within its territory. Flow of information is tightly controlled as it is with the Great Firewall of ...
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Quite some lateral wobble immediately following Antares Orb-2 liftoff. Is that normal?
Orbital Sciences just launched (July 13, 2014 at 12:52 EST) their Orb-2 resupply mission to the International Space Station with Cygnus resupply vehicle onboard the Antares rocket (named SS Janice ...
9
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1answer
681 views
Do strongbacks/launch towers have to be repainted or refurbished after a launch?
Videos of rocket launches often show exhaust flames engulfing at least the upper parts of a launch tower or strongback.
Do these towers need to be reconstructed or at least repainted after a launch?
...
9
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1answer
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What's the white tall tower with a tank near Space Shuttle launch pad?
Here's neat image from Wikipedia:
On the right there's a tall white tower with a rounded tank on top looking much like a water tower. There's another one right behind the first one opposing the other ...
9
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1answer
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What are/were the rails leading into the flame trench of pad 39A used for?
In this Google Street View you can see what appear to be rails leading down into the flame trench under launch pad 39A.
What was/is the purpose of those rails?
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What happens to rocket stages that land in the oceans, and how many are still there?
When a rocket stage is jettisoned into the ocean, does it typically sink?
Assuming yes, how many rocket stages are now lying on the ocean floor?
Are there, on the ocean floor, areas where there ...
8
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1answer
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Are there any dog-leg hot-spots? Where are dog-leg maneuvers used most frequently?
Dog-leg maneuvers are nicely explained in @JakeBlocker's excellent answer. If you go there now (and hopefully come back here) you can see a diagram of a dog-leg maneuver along with a comparison to an ...
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Where will SpaceX build and launch the BFR?
SpaceX are planning a new very heavy launch vehicle called BFR. Although the site of manufacture has not been finalised yet (as far as I know), everyone seems to assume it will be on the east coast. ...
8
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2answers
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of assembling a launch vehicle horizontally?
While reading up on the Soyuz rocket, I noticed this:
Soyuz rockets are assembled horizontally in the MIK Building at the launch site. The rocket is then rolled out, and erected on the launch pad.
...
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Negative impact of having the launch pad away from the Equator
I imagine a satellite meant for reaching a geostationary orbit will benefit most from it, but being near the Equator is surely an advantage to any space launch (right?).
However, what's the impact ...
