Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39

Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 on Merritt Island, Florida, was built as NASA’s Apollo-era Moonport and became the nation’s main heavy-launch complex. Developed after President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 call to reach the Moon, it took shape once lunar orbit rendezvous and the Saturn V were chosen, with pads 39A and 39B, the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Crawlerway, and the Launch Control Center forming a complete launch system. Saturn V rockets were assembled indoors and carried to the pads by crawler-transporters. After Apollo, the complex was adapted for the Space Shuttle and later for Artemis and SpaceX launches, preserving its central role in U.S. spaceflight.

North Merritt Island, Florida · United States