Launch Complex 26

Overview

Systems

Other Programs

Cost: $6,808,000

Launch Complex 26 Highlights

  • 1956 – Construction started
  • May 1957 – Occupied by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
  • Blockhouse wall 2 feet thick and ceiling 5-8 feet thick. Cable trays to pads, 4 feet deep by 300 feet long
  • Gantry is 111 feet 9 inches high and can be lowered to a horizontal position for maintenance or for protection from storms
  • 27 August 1957 to 22 January 1963 – Total of 10 Jupiters launched from Pad 26A
  • 22 October 1957 to 25 January 1960 – Total of 16 Jupiters launched from Pad 26B
  • 31 January 1958 – First satellite, Explorer I launched from Pad 26A by a Jupiter C booster
  • 5 March 1958 – Last Jupiter C launched from Pad 26A
  • 13 December 1958 – First Bioflight launched from Pad 26B with a monkey Gordo
  • 28 May 1959 – Second Bioflight launched from Pad 26B with two monkeys, Able and Miss Baker
  • 21 July 1959 to 4 August 1959 – Two Redstone launched from Pad 26A
  • 14 August 1959 to 24 May 1961 – Total of 6 Juno II launched from Pad 26B
  • 1964 – Complex deactivated
  • 20 November 1964 – Launch complex reassigned to Air Force Space Museum
  • April 1984 – Declared a National Historic Landmark
  • Museum grounds include various outdoor static displays
  • Exhibit Hall presents exhibits devoted to the history of America’s space and missile programs.

Related Pages:

More Cape Canaveral Facilities

History Center Storyboard – Launch Complex 26