Landing Zone 1

For previous launch operations at the site, see Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13.
Landing Zone 1

Falcon 9 Flight 20 landing on Landing Zone 1 in 2015
Launch site Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Location 28°29′09″N 80°32′40″W / 28.4859°N 80.5444°W / 28.4859; -80.5444Coordinates: 28°29′09″N 80°32′40″W / 28.4859°N 80.5444°W / 28.4859; -80.5444
Short name LZ-1
Operator SpaceX
Total launches 1 landing
Launch pad(s) 1[1]
Launch history
Status Falcon 9 Landing Pad
Associated
rockets		 Falcon 9 Flight 20 (landing)

Landing Zone 1 is a landing facility for recovering components of SpaceX's VTVL reusable launch vehicles. The facility was built on land leased in February 2015 from the United States Air Force, on the site of the former Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 13.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

The site consists of a main pad 282 feet (86 m) in diameter marked with the stylized X from the SpaceX company logo.[9][1] An additional four 150 feet (46 m) diameter pads are planned to support the simultaneous recovery of additional boosters of the Falcon Heavy. Infrastructure to support operations including improved roadways for crane movement and a rocket pedestal area and large concrete foundation, away from the five landing pads, for attaching the booster stage when taking the rocket from vertical to horizontal orientation is also planned.[9]

Operations at the facility followed seven earlier landing tests by SpaceX, five of which involved intentional descents into the open ocean, followed by two failed landing tests on a ocean-going platform.[6][10] As of March 2, 2015, the Air Force's sign for LC-13 was briefly replaced with a sign identifying it as Landing Complex 1.[11] The site was renamed Landing Zone 1 prior to its first use as a landing site.[3][4] Musk indicated in January 2016 that he thought the likelihood of successful landings for all of the attempted landings in 2016 would be approximately 70 percent, hopefully rising to 90 percent in 2017, and cautioned that the company expects a few more RUDs (Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies).[12]

SpaceX has also signed a lease for a West Coast landing pad at Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4.[13]

Landing history

After approval from the FAA, SpaceX accomplished its first successful landing at the complex on the Falcon 9 Flight 20 mission, which occurred on 22 December 2015 UTC,[14] the 8th booster controlled-descent test overall.[4][15]

Date (UTC) Payload Vehicle Result Landing Weather Go Notes
December 22, 2015 01:39 OG2-F2 Falcon 9 v1.1 Full Thrust Success 95%

References

  1. 1 2 Davenport, Christian (21 December 2015). "Elon Musk’s SpaceX returns to flight and pulls off dramatic, historic landing". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Public Affairs. "45th Space Wing, SpaceX sign first-ever landing pad agreement at the Cape". 45th Space Wing.
  3. 1 2 Bergin, Chris (2015-12-18). "SpaceX Falcon 9 Static Fires ahead of OG2 RTF mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2015-12-19. All that is currently known for this mission is SpaceX’s ambition to conduct a historic landing on its new Cape Canaveral landing pad, officially known as LZ-1 (Landing Zone -1), but also tagged “X1″.
  4. 1 2 3 "Rocket landing at Cape Canaveral planned after SpaceX launch". SapceflightNow. 2015-12-19. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
  5. ↑ Bergin, Chris (2014-07-28). "SpaceX Roadmap building on its rocket business revolution". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2014-07-28. At this point, we are highly confident of being able to land successfully on a floating launch pad or back at the launch site and refly the rocket with no required refurbishment
  6. 1 2 James Dean (6 January 2015). "SpaceX to try landing booster on a sea platform". Florida Today. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Gruss, Mike (10 February 2015). "SpaceX Leases Florida Launch Pad for Rocket Landings". Space.com. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  8. ↑ 45th Space Wing Public Affairs (10 February 2015). "45th Space Wing, SpaceX sign first-ever landing pad agreement at the Cape". Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Draft Environmental Assessment for the Space Exploration Technologies Vertical Landing of the Falcon Vehicle and Construction at Launch Complex 13 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Florida" (PDF). USAF. October 2014. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
  10. ↑ Graham, William (8 February 2015). "SpaceX Falcon 9 ready for DSCOVR mission". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "SpaceX - SpaceX's Photos - Facebook". facebook.com.
  12. ↑ https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/689299216607232000, 19 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Clark, Stephen (17 February 2015). "SpaceX leases property for landing pads at Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  14. ↑ Graham, William (2015-12-21). "SpaceX returns to flight with OG2, nails historic core return". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2015-12-21. During Monday’s launch, the first stage made its historic return to LZ-1 and successfully landed in a milestone event for SpaceX.
  15. ↑ Dean, James (2015-12-01). "SpaceX wants to land next booster at Cape Canaveral". Florida Today. Retrieved 2 December 2015.

External links

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Landing Zone 1.


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