Space

Complex 17

This dual launch pad complex was built for the THOR ballistic missile program in 1956. Pad 17B supported it's first THOR launch on 25 January 1957, and Pad 17A supported it's first THOR launch on 30 August 1957. In addition to THOR missile launches, Complex 17 began supporting space launches in the late 1950s. The site was modified in the early 1960s to support a whole host of launch vehicles derived from the basic THOR booster. Thirty-five DELTA missions were launched form Complex 17 between the beginning of 1960 and the end of 1965. The Air Force transferred Complex 17 to NASA in the spring of 1965, but the site was returned to the Air Force in October 1988 to support the DELTA II program. As DELTA II launches continued over the next decade, Pad 17B was modified in 1997 to support the new more powerful launch vehicle (DELTA III). In all, Complex 17 supported over 270 major missile and space launches through 1999.