Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 39 (Space Shuttle)

LC-39

Mission Profile

Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 served as the primary launch site for the Space Shuttle program from 1981 to 2011, with pads 39A and 39B both adapted from their Saturn V configurations to accommodate the Shuttle stack consisting of the orbiter, External Tank, and twin Solid Rocket Boosters. LC-39A was the primary operational pad for most Shuttle missions while LC-39B was used for the minority of flights and for contingency rescue missions. The familiar rotating service structure, fixed service structure, and mobile launcher platform system hosted 135 Space Shuttle missions over three decades, including milestones such as the first Shuttle launch (STS-1, April 1981), the Hubble Space Telescope deployment (STS-31, April 1990), and the final Shuttle landing (STS-135, July 2011).