Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 20
| Company type | Launch facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Headquarters | Cape Canaveral , United States |
Area served | Space launches |
| Owner | United States Space Force (leased to Firefly Aerospace) |
Space Launch Complex 20 (SLC-20) is a launch facility situated at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Positioned as the northernmost pad within Missile Row, it lies between Launch Complexes 19 and 34.
Initially named Launch Complex 20 (LC-20) by the United States Air Force, this site was constructed for test launches of the HGM-25A Titan I ICBM and subsequently supported launches of the Titan IIIA as well as various sounding rockets. Presently, it is leased to Firefly Aerospace for upcoming missions involving their Firefly Alpha and Eclipse launch vehicles.
History
Developed in the late 1950s by the United States Air Force alongside LC-19, LC-16, and LC-15 for the Titan I missile program, LC-20 conducted 16 Titan I launches during 1960 and 1961. Following the transition to the LGM-25C Titan II, which utilized only LC-15 and LC-16, LC-20 experienced a period of inactivity.
In 1963, modifications were made to both LC-20 and neighboring LC-19 to accommodate orbital missions within the Titan rocket family. NASA employed LC-19 for Titan II GLV launches during Project Gemini, whereas LC-20 was dedicated to the Air Force’s Titan III program, specifically with the Titan IIIA and its Transtage upper stage. Between 1964 and 1965, four Titan IIIA launches took place at LC-20, with three achieving low Earth orbit—the only orbital successes from this pad.
After remaining unused for approximately twenty years, LC-20 underwent refurbishment in the late 1980s to support Starbird launch vehicles associated with the shuttle Starlab mission. From 1990 until 1994, it facilitated five sounding rocket flights before being decommissioned in 1996.
The site was reactivated in 1999 under Space Florida’s management for commercial operations. Enhancements included improvements to Launch Pad A and new infrastructure near the blockhouse. In 2000, two Super Loki sounding rocket launches were conducted there.
By 2006, NASA’s Advanced Technology Development Center utilized SLC-20 to test innovative spaceport technologies in collaboration with the Florida Air National Guard.
In February 2019, Space Florida leased SLC-20 to Firefly Aerospace to support launches of their Alpha and Eclipse (previously Beta) rockets from the Eastern Range on prograde trajectories. Firefly planned adjacent manufacturing facilities to complement this launch complex. This arrangement complements Firefly’s presence at Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2W for polar orbit missions. Prioritizing activity at SLC-2W, Firefly’s Alpha vehicle performed its inaugural flight there in September 2021.
As of 2024, Firefly continues leasing SLC-20 but has shifted focus toward Wallops Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport as its primary East Coast launch site. This is due to a partnership with Northrop Grumman developing Antares 330 and Eclipse vehicles slated for LP-0A launches.
Titan
All launches conducted by the United States Air Force.
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Payload | Result | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 July 1960 | 17:29 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Failure | Initial launch from LC-20 ended prematurely due to hydraulic line malfunction causing loss of control; range safety destructed vehicle after 11 seconds. | |
| 2 | 28 July 1960 | 21:38 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Failure | Engine shutdown occurred when liquid oxygen valve closed unintentionally. | |
| 3 | 30 August 1960 | Unknown | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | Marked first successful flight from this complex. | |
| 4 | 7 October 1960 | 15:50 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 5 | 20 December 1960 | Unknown | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Failure | Gas generator on second stage failed to initiate. | |
| 6 | 10 February 1961 | 05:55 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 7 | 3 March 1961 | Unknown | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Failure | Turbopump malfunction on second stage caused failure. | |
| 8 | 31 March 1961 | 19:42 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Failure | First stage turbopump failure led to mission loss. | |
| 9 | 23 May 1961 | Unknown | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 10 | 21 July 1961 | 02:00 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 11 | 4 August 1961 | Unknown | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 12 | 7 September 1961 | 01:30 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 13 | 29 September 1961 | 01:52 | HGM-25A Titan I | Suborbital test | Template:Success | ||
| 14 | 24 October 1961 | 23:28 | HGM-25A Titan I | "Suborbital test" | "Template:Success" | "" | |
| 15 | "22 November 1961" | "00:30" | "HGM-25A Titan I" | "Suborbital test" | "Template:Success" | "" | |
| 16 | "13 December 1961" | "Unknown" | "HGM-25A Titan I" | "Suborbital test" | "Template:Success" | "Last Titan I flight launched from LC-20." | |
| 17 | "1 September 1964" | "15:00" | "Titan IIIA" | "N/A" | "Template:Failure" | "First flight of Titan IIIA and introduction of the Titan III series; failure due to Transtage upper stage pressurization loss resulting in early engine cutoff and orbit failure." | |
| 18 | "10 December 1964" | "16:52" | "Titan IIIA" | "N/A" | "Template:Success" | "Test mission validating the Transtage upper stage; first successful orbital launch from LC-20 using a Titan III vehicle." | |
| 19 | "11 February 1965" | "15:19" | "Titan IIIA" | "LES-1" | "Template:Success" | ||
| 20 | "6 May 1965" | "15:00" | "Titan IIIA" | "LES-2 and \LCS-1" | "Template:Success" | "Final launch of the Titan IIIA variant and concluding Titan mission from this complex." |
Sounding rockets
Between 1990 and June 1991, Orbital Sciences Corporation managed the launches, followed by the Strategic Defense Initiative overseeing operations until 1993, with Space Florida conducting launches in 2000.
| No. | Date | Time (UTC) | Launch vehicle | Payload | Result | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 18 December 1990 | 03:37 | Starbird | LACE UVPI target | Template:Success | Served as a target rocket for missile defense tracking under the Strategic Defense Initiative. Marked the inaugural sounding rocket launch from LC-20. |
| 22 | 18 June 1991 | 11:34 | Prospector | Joust-1 | Template:Failure | University-led microgravity mission carrying material and biological experiments. The launch failed at an altitude of 0.6 km. |
| 23 | 20 August 1991 | 09:45 | Aries | Red Tigress 1A | Template:Failure | Used as a target rocket for anti-missile tracking demonstration; only achieved an altitude of 2 km. |
| 24 | 14 October 1991 | 10:17 | Aries | Red Tigress 1B | Template:Success | Functioned as a target rocket for missile tracking demonstration purposes. |
| 25 | 23 May 1993 | 09:17 | LCLV | Red Tigress 2A | Template:Success | Employed as a target rocket in anti-missile tracking demonstrations. |
| 26 | 28 May 1993 | 08:34 | LCLV | Red Tigress 2B | Template:Success | Served as a target rocket for missile defense tracking demonstrations. |
| 27 | 21 January 2000 | 16:22 | Super Loki | Educational test flight | Template:Success | |
| 28 | 12 December 2000 | 20:00 | Super Loki | Educational test flight | Template:Success | |
| 29 | 13 December 2000 | 16:00 | Super Loki | Educational test flight | Template:Success | The latest launch conducted from LC-20 to date. |