Questions tagged [launch-site]
Questions on launch complexes, spaceports or other locales for the launch of spacecraft.
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Baikonur trip cancelled at the 11th hour (29 May 2014)
A friend and I travelled to Kazakhstan in May and booked a trip to see the 29 May launch. Everything was fine, we had permits for everything except the launch itself (all the museums, Gagarin's ...
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What will be the launch and landing sites for Orion?
There is this question that is very interesting. But it made me wonder about upcoming systems.
Assuming it gets finished, and this blog makes it seem more real.. Where will it take off from and land.
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SpaceX launch site - why all the cables are needed around top of the rocket [duplicate]
On the SpaceX launch site (slc-40 launch pad) there are lot of cables suspended around top of the rocket (between four white rods). What is the function of them? Why no such cables is used on other ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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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Which launch sites were considered for Ariane 6?
I often see it mentioned that the selection of the launch site for Ariane 6 was one of the preliminary requirements that froze its final design. That does make sense, especially since there was some ...
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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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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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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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What is the highest inclination orbit ever attained from a Cape Canaveral launch?
The launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, FL are located at a latitude of about 28.5° N, so that puts a hard lower bound on inclinations from that site. I assume there are well-defined azimuth limits ...
user29
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Which LV families is Roscosmos hoping to operate from the future Eastern Spaceport?
It seems that Russians and Roscosmos were given a green light, a go ahead to build the Vostochny Cosmodrome, or Eastern Spaceport by 2018. They planned on spending \$1 billion on its construction in ...
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Any chance of seeing a vertical launch of an orbital launch vehicle in UK in the not-too-distant future?
Recently, news hit the press about a possible new launch facility, a spaceport on the territory of the United Kingdom. The article in Daily Mail that I read is however rather vague, and even though it ...
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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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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 ...
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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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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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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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