Space

Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC)

The Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC) was established by the Alaska State Legislature as a public corporation tasked with the construction and operation of the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). On November 5, 1998, the USAF conducted the launch of the ait suborbital rocket, marking the first launch from KLC. During the 16-minute flight, the vehicle flew a trajectory that reached an altitude of about 450 miles and traveled approximately 1,000 miles downrange, landing in the Pacific Ocean west of Seattle, WA. This was the first launch from an FAA-licensed launch site not located within the boundaries of a federal facility.

The KLC, an all-weather complex, is located on a 3,100 acre site, the actual "footprint" of the facility is approximately 27 acres, divided among four sites: 1) the Launch Control and Management Center (LCC), 2) the Payload Processing Facility (PPF), 3) the Integration and Processing Facility (IPF)/Spacecraft Assemblies Transfer Facility (SCAT), and 4) the Launch Pad and Service Structure (LP1). The Alaska Congressional Delegation praised the 30 June 2016 announcement by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) that it has awarded a sole source contract to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) to support two flight tests of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Systems (THAAD) at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska on Kodiak, Alaska. The contract, which could total up to $80.4 million, will support MDA’s flight test requirements for the 3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017 and will include the site preparation for two THAAD launchers, range communication and instrumentation capabilities, and a Life Support Area.

This new development positioned the Kodiak launch facility for a bright future in missile defense testing. “As a long-time advocate who helped bring missile defense to Alaska, this contract award is good news for Kodiak and Alaska Aerospace and even better news for the continued security of our country,” said Congressman Don Young. “Over the last several years, I have fought to bring the Missile Defense Agency back to Kodiak, including a provision I included in this year’s defense bill to help enhance the capability of state-owned spaceports, like the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska. Overall, I can think of no better place to test THAAD than in Alaska and am happy that Kodiak will once again play an important role testing a part of our nation’s missile defense system.”