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Questions tagged [launch-site]

Questions on launch complexes, spaceports or other locales for the launch of spacecraft.

0 votes
2 answers
203 views

Mobile Launcher Design

When looking at the Apollo and space shuttle mobile launch platforms side by side, I noticed that the exhaust ports look different and judging by the internal structure of the platform, it seems that ...
TRK's user avatar
  • 199
2 votes
1 answer
432 views

Why does the more complex looking Starship launch tower cost so much less than SLS' tower?

On the surface, you would think that SpaceX launch tower would be more costly with its mechanical arms, but I doubt it touches the cost of the SLS'. Is this mainly due to the use of hydrogen, or are ...
David's user avatar
  • 1,001
5 votes
1 answer
234 views

Why is the American space program launch site based in Florida and not closer to the equator?

Why is the American space program launch site based in Florida and not closer to the equator? How about taking the ESA as an example and building a launch site on say American Samoa? Much closer to ...
Amedeo Felix's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
174 views

Why was the "lunar launch window" different between the Cape Canaveral and Baikonur launch sites?

I'm reading A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts (page 78), and I was confused about this passage: As the fall of 1968 wore on, apprehension surfaced once more within NASA. Would ...
carleton's user avatar
  • 361
0 votes
0 answers
72 views

Why is most of mission control in Houston? [duplicate]

They were already making a mission control at Cape Canaveral, and then decided to move some, but not all, of it to Houston. Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to have the entire mission control in one ...
Starship's user avatar
  • 3,756
9 votes
2 answers
538 views

Proposed Christmas Island launch site, 1952 von Braun Luna Study

In a 1952 study, Wernher von Braun devised a "manned lunar lander" as illustrated below. The study looked at three lunar landers taking a crew of 50 to Sinus Roris (Bay of Dew) in 1977. ...
Fred's user avatar
  • 13.1k
1 vote
2 answers
504 views

Why does Vandenberg have the most launches?

Why does Vandenberg SFB have the most launches? Is it related to location, when it was founded, something else, etc? It would make more sense for Florida to have more launches. It is illegal for ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
108 views

What launch market is the new Shetland spaceport targeting?

The new spaceport on Shetland has now been given planning permission. It is at quite a high latitude (60 degrees north) which will effect the types of launch that are easily achievable so what is the ...
DrMcCleod's user avatar
  • 710
5 votes
1 answer
128 views

What is the current turnaround time for Vandenberg SLC-4E?

Is there public knowledge for the turnaround time for this Falcon 9 B5 pad?
RonaldObserves's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
289 views

What's the highest latitude for a human spaceflight?

There are obviously many satellites in polar orbits or in orbits that extend to very high latitudes. There are obvious reasons to do this in terms of Earth observations, but there is probabably much ...
Roger Wood's user avatar
  • 3,894
2 votes
0 answers
264 views

When and why was Cape Canaveral "Launch Complex 40" renamed to "Space Launch Complex 40"?

From Wikipedia: Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) It seems to me that all other Cape Canaveral launch complexes are just "LC" without the "Space&...
Speedphoenix's user avatar
  • 5,333
3 votes
2 answers
161 views

Why not first stage rocket recovery at launching site after one orbit?

Rockets first stage recovery at launch site needs a significant amount of fuel for going back. This is why SpaceX most often uses sea platform and booster back burn for re-entry. As we see on Falcon9 ...
the world is not flat's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
229 views

What 1960s era launch pad and vehicle is shown in this still from stock footage?

The interesting question Identify this 1960's launch site and mission? contains some screenshots of launch pad stock footage. Most are of LC39, but as @Puffin points out in a comment, one does ...
Organic Marble's user avatar
-2 votes
2 answers
233 views

Selection of rocket launch sites [duplicate]

Viewed from above the North pole, earth's rotation is seen to be "anti-clockwise". Given this fact, any rockets launched from the eastern coast of U.S. have more chances of falling back onto ...
Niranjan's user avatar
  • 3,796
4 votes
0 answers
140 views

Maximum Acceleration for NASA's Transport Crawler while carrying Saturn V

I was reading about the transport crawler and one detail that seems to be not covered in any of the lay-person's easily accessible literature is the recommended acceleration for the transport while ...
RomaH's user avatar
  • 141

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