🇺🇸Kennedy Space Center
Merritt Island, Florida, United States
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Region
North America
Established
1962
Launches / Year
40+
Coordinates
28.5728° N, 80.6490° W
About
Kennedy Space Center is NASA's primary launch facility and one of the most iconic spaceports in history. Located on Merritt Island, Florida, it has served as the departure point for every U.S. crewed orbital mission since 1968. Today it hosts SpaceX Falcon 9/Heavy launches from LC-39A alongside NASA's Artemis missions from LC-39B.
Key Features
Historic Launch Complex 39A and 39B used for Apollo, Shuttle, and Artemis
Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) — one of the largest buildings in the world by volume
SpaceX operates LC-39A for Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and future Starship missions
Visitor Complex welcomes over 1.5 million tourists annually
Adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for coordinated operations
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
Apollo 11 (1969) — First crewed Moon landing
STS-1 (1981) — First Space Shuttle mission
STS-31 (1990) — Hubble Space Telescope deployment
Artemis I (2022) — First SLS/Orion uncrewed lunar flight
Falcon Heavy Demo (2018) — SpaceX's first heavy-lift launch