Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 3
Encyclopedia
Launch Complex 3 is a deactivated US Air Force
launch site southeast of SLC-36 on Cape Canaveral
, Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
. It was constructed, with launch complexes 1
, 2
, and 4
, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program
.
It was formerly used to launch Bumper
, BOMARC, UGM-27 Polaris
, and Lockheed X-17
missiles. The pad was also the site of the first launch from Cape Canaveral, a Bumper
rocket on July 24, 1950. The site also served as a medical support facility during Project Mercury
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
launch site southeast of SLC-36 on Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
, Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
. It was constructed, with launch complexes 1
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 1
Launch Complex 1 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. It was constructed, with launch complexes 2, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program....
, 2
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 2
Launch Complex 2 is a deactivated US Air Force launch site on the eastern tip of Cape Canaveral, Florida at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was constructed with launch complexes 1, 3, and 4, in the early 1950s, for the Snark missile program....
, and 4
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 4
Launch Complex 4 was one of the first series of launch complexes to be built at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Cape Canaveral, Florida...
, in the early 1950s for the Snark missile program
SM-62 Snark
-External links:** Air Force Magazine article about a Snark that was test-fired and rumored to have been found in Brazil** detailed article on Snark and the USAF school to train personnel for it...
.
It was formerly used to launch Bumper
Bumper (rocket)
After a July 1946 suggestion by to combine the V-2 rocket and WAC Corporal, the US Bumper missile program was inaugurated on June 20, 1947:* to investigate launching techniques for a two-stage missile and separation of the two stages at high velocity,...
, BOMARC, UGM-27 Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
, and Lockheed X-17
Lockheed X-17
The Lockheed X-17 was a three stage solid-fuel research rocket to test the effects of high mach atmospheric reentry. The first stage of the X-17 carried the rocket to a height of before burning out. The rocket would then coast on momentum to about before nosing down for reentry. The second stage...
missiles. The pad was also the site of the first launch from Cape Canaveral, a Bumper
Bumper (rocket)
After a July 1946 suggestion by to combine the V-2 rocket and WAC Corporal, the US Bumper missile program was inaugurated on June 20, 1947:* to investigate launching techniques for a two-stage missile and separation of the two stages at high velocity,...
rocket on July 24, 1950. The site also served as a medical support facility during Project Mercury
Project Mercury
In January 1960 NASA awarded Western Electric Company a contract for the Mercury tracking network. The value of the contract was over $33 million. Also in January, McDonnell delivered the first production-type Mercury spacecraft, less than a year after award of the formal contract. On February 12,...
.