Cape Canaveral LC18B	home topic index
Launch Complex: LC18B. Cape Canaveral. Latitude: 28.4490 deg. Longitude: -80.5618 deg. Used by: Delta, Scout. First Launch: 1958-06-04. Last Launch: 1962-04-12. Number Launches: 23. The LC18 complex included two launch pads 18A and 18B. Pad 18B supported 17 Thor missile launches between 4 June 1958 and 1 March 1960. Pad 18B supported half a dozen Blue Scout I, Blue Scout II and Scout missions between 7 January 1961 and 13 April 1962. Complex 18 was deactivated on 1 February 1967. LC18B Chronology 1958 June 4 - 21:17 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18 115 Research and development Series III test Agency: USAF 6555 ATW. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). USAF Thor flight tested for the first time from a tactical-type launcher at Cape Canaveral. 1958 August 6 - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18 117 Research and development Series III test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1958 December 6 - 00:41 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 145 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1958 December 31 - 02:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 149 FAILURE: Failure. Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. 1959 March 22 - 00:58 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 158 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 April 25 - 05:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 164 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 May 23 - 02:42 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 184 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 June 26 - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 198 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 July 24 - 12:47 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 202 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). USAF Thor data capsule recovered near Antigua which contained movie film showing nose cone separation. 1959 August 14 - 09:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 204 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 September 12 - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 217 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 October 6 - 16:41 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 235 Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 October 29 - 02:12 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 230 Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1959 December 1 - 17:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18A 254 Series IV research and development launch Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1960 January 14 - 16:35 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18C 256 Special test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1960 February 9 - 17:11 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18C 259 Special test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1960 February 29 - Launch Vehicle: Delta. Thor DM-18C 263 Special test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). 1961 January 7 - 17:33 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 1 . Blue Scout I D-3 HETS A1-1 Plasma / radio astronomy mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,600 km (900 mi). 1961 March 3 - 16:02 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 2 . Blue Scout II D-4 HETS A2-1 Plasma mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 2,540 km (1,570 mi). 1961 April 12 - 06:07 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 2 . Blue Scout II D-5 HETS A2-2 Plasma mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,931 km (1,199 mi). 1961 May 9 - 16:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 1 . Blue Scout I D-6 FAILURE: Failure. HETS A1-2 Plasma mission Agency: USAF. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi). 1961 November 1 - 15:32 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 2 . Blue Scout II D-8 FAILURE: Failure. Mercury MS-1 Spacecraft: Radio Test Spacecraft. Agency: USAF. Small satellite was to have verified the readiness of the worldwide Mercury tracking network. An attempt was made to launch Mercury-Scout 1 (MS-1) into orbit with a communications package further to qualify the radar tracking of the Mercury global network prior to manned orbital flight. Shortly after lift-off, the launch vehicle developed erratic motions and attending high aerodynamic loads, and was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer after 43 seconds of flight. No further attempts were planned. The Mercury-Atlas 4 (MA-4) mission and the successful Mercury-Atlas 5 (MA-5), flown on November 29, 1961, disclosed that the network met all requirements. 1962 April 12 - 16:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Scout. LV Model: Blue Scout 1 . Blue Scout I D-7 FAILURE: Failure. Reentry Test re-entry vehicle test flight Agency: USAF. Apogee: 30 km (18 mi). 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