Kennedy Space Center

Cape Canaveral Launch Schedule

With the establishment of NASA in 1958, the location of the Kennedy Space Center made it a perfect place for launches. So in July of 1962, because of the year round good climate, the fact that it was sparsely populated, and that it was so close to the ocean, which was good for over water launches, NASA established its Launch Operation Center here. North of the Merritt Island on State Road 3 is the John F. Kennedy Space Center. Renamed for the late president Kennedy, in 1962 in honor of his dream of space exploration, the space center first started launching rocket's in the early 1950's.

Visitors can tour the historical site at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. You'll get an opportunity to tour NASA's launch and landing facilities, ride the Shuttle Launch Experience, participate in the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX), view interactive simulators and live shows. Rockets are also on display and you may even meet a NASA Astronaut. There are also Space Shuttle displays, Historical NASA exhibits, IMAX movies, launch viewing and more.

Alan Shepard, the first American launched into space, took off from the Cape Canaveral also in 1962. The ultimate goal; however was to get a man to the moon and back safely. The Apollo, Mercury and Gemini programs were started in the 1960's. A launch complex designed specifically for the Saturn V was needed and that's how the Kennedy Space Center came into being. As they say, the rest is history: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins began their historic trip to the moon and back in 1969.

After the old Apollo programs had been phased out the facilities were modified to take on a new dream, a launch with reusable booster rockets and an orbiter that could return from space and glide to a runway touchdown and be refitted to fly again.

The first Space Shuttle mission, using the orbiter Columbia, took off for space on April 12, 1981, more than 115 Space Shuttles have taken off from Kennedy Space Center's two launch pads since then still causing traffic along the Space Coast to stop, and take notice of a dream that began so long ago.

But the dream has entered yet another phase with the shuttles being the main transport to the International Space Station (IIS), carrying relief astronauts, supplies and using spacewalks to do all repairs as well as build on to the Space Station. Back home, at the Kennedy Space Center newer, more efficient launch systems are being researched and developed. There are also plans to build a moon base as well as missions to Mars.