Cape Canaveral LC20 home
topic index

Launch Complex: LC20.
Cape Canaveral. Old Name: SLC20. Latitude: 28.5121 deg. Longitude: -80.5567 deg. Used by: Aries, Loki, Prospector, Super Chief, Titan. Complexes 15, 16, 19, and 20 were built for the Titan ballistic missile program. The sites were accepted by the U.S. Government between February and mid-September 1959. All four sites supported Titan I launches in 1959 and the early 1960s. Complex 20 was modified to support four Titan IIIA flights which took place between 1 September 1964 and 7 May 1965. The site was deactivated in April 1967, but it got a new lease on life toward the end of the 1980s. Complex 20 was selected for the Starbird program in 1987, and it supported a Starbird launch on 18 December 1990. Between 18 June 1991 and 29 May 1993, the complex supported the commercial Joust-1 launch and four Red Tigress and Red Tigress II missions sponsored by the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. Much of Complex 20's electronic equipment and both of its rail launchers were removed in 1995, rendering the site inactive.
LC20 Chronology

1960 July 1 - 17:29 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I J-2 FAILURE: Destroyed 90 m above pad. Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). Titan 1 J (Mk 4 RV)

1960 July 28 - 21:38 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I J-4 FAILURE: 130 km range. Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi). Titan 1 J (Mk 4 RV)

1960 August 30 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I J-5 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1960 October 7 - 15:50 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I J-3 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1960 December 20 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I J-9 FAILURE: Failure. Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).

1961 February 10 - 05:55 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-11 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 March 3 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-12 FAILURE: Failure. Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).

1961 March 31 - 19:42 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-15 FAILURE: Failure. Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).

1961 May 23 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-16 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 July 21 - 02:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-18 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 August 4 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-19 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 September 7 - 01:30 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-17 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi). USAF Titan successfully launched from Atlantic Missile Range, making 6,100-mile flight.

1961 September 29 - 01:52 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-20 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 October 24 - 23:28 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-21 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 November 22 - 00:30 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-22 Mk 4 re-entry vehicle test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1961 December 13 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 1 . Titan I AJ-23 NTMP TV test Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

1964 September 1 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 3A . Titan IIIA 3A-2 FAILURE: Transtage pressurization failure caused premature shutdown. Titan 3A Transtage 1 Agency: USAF.

1964 December 10 - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 3A . Titan IIIA 3A-1 Titan 3A Transtage 2 Mass: 4,077 kg (8,988 lb). Agency: USAF. Perigee: 166 km (103 mi). Apogee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 32.10 deg. Period: 88.00 min. Launch vehicle test. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1965 February 11 - 15:19 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Titan. LV Model: Titan 3A . Titan IIIA 3A-3 LES 1 Mass: 31 kg (68 lb). Spacecraft: LES. Agency: USAF. Perigee: 2,783 km (1,729 mi). Apogee: 2,809 km (1,745 mi). Inclination: 32.10 deg. Period: 145.80 min. Lincoln Experimental Satellite; communications experiments. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1990 December 18 - 03:37 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Super Chief. LACE UVPI Target Target mission Agency: OSC. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

1991 June 18 - 11:34 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Prospector. Prospector JOUST 1 FAILURE: Failure. Microgravity mission Agency: OSC. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). Material and biological experiments.

1991 August 20 - 09:45 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Aries. Aries Red Tigress 1A FAILURE: Failure. Target mission Agency: SDIO. Apogee: 2.00 km (1.20 mi).

1991 October 14 - 10:17 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Aries. Aries Red Tigress 1B Target Agency: SDIO. Apogee: 320 km (190 mi). LEAP-1. Missile Tracking and Discrimination for SDIO.

1993 May 23 - 09:17 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Super Chief. LCLV Red Tigress 2A Target mission Agency: SDIO. Apogee: 378 km (234 mi).

1993 May 28 - 08:34 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Super Chief. LCLV Red Tigress 2B Target mission Agency: SDIO. Apogee: 390 km (240 mi).

2000 January 21 - 16:22 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Loki. Super Loki LiteStar Education mission Agency: SPFLA. Apogee: 75 km (46 mi).

2000 December 12 - 20:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Loki. Super Loki LiteStar Test mission Agency: SPFLA. Apogee: 75 km (46 mi).

2000 December 13 - 16:00 GMT - Launch Vehicle: Loki. Super Loki LiteStar Test mission Agency: SPFLA. Apogee: 75 km (46 mi).

Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments.
Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.

© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.