6555th Aerospace Test Group The 6555th Aerospace Test Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the Eastern Space and Missile Center and stationed at Patrick AFB , Florida . It was inactivated on 1 October 1990 . Prior to the activation of the Air Force Space Command , the unit was responsible for the development of USAF missiles , both tactical surface - to - surface ; CIM - 10 Bomarc Interceptor ; SM - 62 Snark Intercontinental Cruise Missile ; Intercontinental ballistic missile and heavy launch rockets used for military for satellite deployment . The unit played a key role in the civilian NASA Project Mercury , Project Gemini and Project Apollo manned space programs along with military Space Shuttle flights . The mission of the unit today is performed by the 45th Space Wing ( no direct lineage ) . History . Activated in December 1950 , replacing 550th Guided Missiles Wing . the 6555th had a distinguished career launching and / or managing ballistic missiles , space launch vehicles and payloads for the Ballistic Systems Division , the Space Systems Division and the Space & Missile Systems Organization . As a Wing or a Group , the 6555th earned ten Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards between 21 December 1959 and October 1990 . In the 1950s , the unit had several designation changes and organizational realignments . As launches of winged missiles continued , the Wing gained two new units the 1st and 69th Pilotless Bomber Squadron s in October 1951 and January 1952 . Thereafter , the 6555th focused most of its efforts on assembling , testing and launching B - 61 Matador missiles so the 1st and 69th Pilotless Bomber Squadrons would be prepared for operations in Europe . The 6555th Guided Missile Wing became the 6555th Guided Missile Group on 1 March 1953 , and the 1st and 69th Pilotless Bomber Squadrons were reassigned to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) on 15 January 1954 . Since TAC agreed to train all other B - 61 Matador squadrons at TAC ' s own school at Orlando AFB , Florida , the 6555th Guided Missile Group was little more than a squadron when the 69th completed its field training in the summer of 1954 . The 6555th Guided Missile Group was discontinued on 7 September 1954 . The 6555th Guided Missile Squadron was allowed to survive as a B - 61 Matador research and development testing unit , and it was reassigned to AFMTC Headquarters on 7 September 1954 . The 6555th Guided Missiles Squadron became the 6555th Guided Missile Group ( Test and Evaluation ) on 15 August 1959 , and it was reassigned to the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division ( without any change of station ) on 21 December 1959 . Concurrent with its reassignment , the Group picked up the resources of the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division ' s Assistant Commander for Missile Tests . At the beginning of 1971 , the 6555th Aerospace Test Group consisted of a commander ' s office and three divisions ( e . g . , Support , Atlas Systems and Titan III Systems ) . Though the Test Group ' s launch operations revolved around the Atlas and Titan III systems divisions in the early 1970s , the Group established its Space Transportation System ( STS ) Division on 1 July 1974 to ensure the Defense Department ' s Shuttle requirements were factored into future Shuttle operations at the Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) . On 1 November 1975 , the Test Group reorganized its Atlas and Titan III launch vehicle agencies under a new division , the Space Launch Vehicle Systems Division . On the same date , the Atlas Satellite Launch Systems Branch and the Titan III Space Satellite Systems Launch Operations Branch were consolidated under the newly created Satellite Systems Division . The changes were directed by the 6595th Aerospace Test Wing Commander to combine booster operations under one division chief and payload operations under another division chief . In the same vein , the IUS Operations Branch was placed under the Space Launch Vehicle Systems Division when that branch was formed on 1 July 1977 . Following the final Atlas - Agena launch on 6 April 1978 , the Space Launch Vehicle Systems Division and the Satellite Systems Division shifted their respective attentions from Atlas - Agena operations on Complex 13 to Atlas - Centaur boosters and payloads designated for Defense Department missions on Complex 36 . On 1 October 1979 , the Group was transferred to the 45th Space Wing ' s immediate predecessor , the Eastern Space and Missile Center ( ESMC ) . The unit was inactivated on 1 October 1990 when Air Force Space Command inactivated the provisional unit and merged the organization with ESMC . Most of the 6555th ' s resources were reorganized as the 1st Space Launch Squadron under ESMC and two Combined Task Forces ( CTFs ) serving AFSPC and Air Force Systems Command . Ultimately , the last vestiges of the 6555th were inactivated on 1 July 1992 as Air Force Systems Command and Air Force Logistics Command merged to form Air Force Materiel Command . Today , the mission of the unit is performed by the 45th Operations Group and the 45th Launch Group components of the 45th Space Wing . Weapons and missile development . Postwar era . Between 1946 and 1950 , the Group ' s predecessor units , the 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group and 550th Guided Missiles Wing , tested a variety of glided bombs and tactical missiles . They also developed QB - 17 drone aircraft for use in atomic bomb testing , and later as targets for anti - aircraft missiles . The 550th GMW also launched the first rockets from the Joint Long Range Proving Ground at Cape Canaveral , Florida in 1950 . Aerodynamic missiles . Aerodynamic or " winged " missile testing dominated the activities of the 6555th for most of the 1950s . The decade witnessed the introduction of the B - 61 Matador , SM - 62 Snark , IM - 99 Bomarc , XSM - 64 Navaho and TM - 76 Mace aerodynamic missiles , among which the Matador , with over 280 launches to its credit , stood out as the most - launched missile of its era . The Matador was also the 6555th ' s first full - fledged weapon system program and its initial deployment overseas included military launch crews trained at Cape Canaveral AFS . Ballistic missiles . The Air Force ballistic missile program had its origins in studies and projects initiated by the Army Air Corps immediately after World War II . Faced with growing evidence of the Soviet Union ’ s development of thermonuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology in 1953 , the Air Force established the Western Development Division ( WDD ) in Los Angeles to carry out that task . The 6555th ' s role in ballistic missile development ended with the Minuteman III flight test program in 1970 , but Minuteman and Titan missile tests continued under SAC and the 6595th Aerospace Test Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base . Space launch operations . The Air Force ' s interest in artificial satellites — and hence , space operations — was sparked by discussions with the Navy shortly after the end of World War II . At Major General Curtis E . LeMay ' s request , the Douglas Aircraft Company ' s RAND group provided The Pentagon with a 321 - page study in May 1946 on the feasibility of satellites for military reconnaissance , weather surveillance , communications and missile navigation . The Soviets ' successful launch of Sputnik I on 4 October 1957 came as a shock to the American public , but the military implications of that capability came into even sharper focus as much heavier payloads were orbited from the Soviet Union in the months and years that followed . Galvanized into action by the Soviet Union ' s achievements , the U . S . Department of Defense set high priorities on the development of military satellite systems . It also created the Advanced Research Projects Agency ( ARPA ) on 7 February 1958 to supervise all U . S . military space efforts . The Air Force drew up a manned military space system development plan in April 1958 , and it also volunteered to carry out the U . S . man - in - space mission . Though much of the plan was incorporated in later manned space efforts ( e . g . , Project Mercury , Project Gemini and Project Apollo ) , President Dwight Eisenhower rejected the Air Force ' s offer to lead the effort . Instead , he called on Congress to establish a civilian space agency , and the National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed by Congress in July 1958 . Since the Air Research and Development Command was destined to serve the Air Force and two non - Air Force clients in space ( i . e . , ARPA and NASA ) , effective coordination among the agencies was crucial to the early success of the space mission . Before the 6555th absorbed the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division ' s resources at the Cape in December 1959 , most of the Air Force ' s participation in the Cape ' s space launch operations was managed by the WS - 315A ( THOR ) Project Division under the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division ' s Assistant Commander for Missile Tests . The WS - 315A Project Division was redesignated the Space Project Division on 16 November 1959 , and it became the Space Projects Division under the 6555th Test Wing on 15 February 1960 . Following the establishment of Air Force Systems Command , the 6555th ' s Test Directorate and Operations Directorate were transformed into the Space Programs Office and the Ballistic Missiles Office on 17 April 1961 . Under that reorganization , the old Atlas Project Office ' s resources were divided roughly in half to create an Atlas Booster Branch and an Atlas Weapons Branch . The Atlas Booster Branch was placed under the Space Programs Office . The old Atlas Operations Division became the new Atlas Weapons Branch ' s Operations Section , and the new Atlas Weapons Branch was placed under the Ballistic Missiles Office . The Space Projects Division became the Space Projects Branch under the Space Programs Office on 17 April , and its Thor Booster Branch ( created on 17 March 1961 ) was removed and set up as a separate branch under the Space Programs Office . Thor - Able ( 1958 – 1961 ) . The Division had jurisdiction over Complex 17 and three missile assembly buildings ( e . g . hangars M , L and AA ) . It supported a total of 10 Air Force - sponsored Thor - Able , Thor - Able I and Thor - Able II space launches from Pad 17A before the end of 1959 . The Division also supported NASA ' s Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 missions , which were launched by Douglas from Pad 17A on 11 October and 8 November 1958 , and NASA ' s Explorer 6 mission , which was launched by Douglas from Pad 17A on 7 August 1959 . Under the 6555th Test Wing ( Development ) , the Space Projects Division managed five Thor - Able - Star missions for the Army , the Navy and ARPA in 1960 . It also monitored Douglas ' preparation and launch of two Thor - Able boosters for NASA ' s Pioneer 5 deep space mission to Venus in March 1960 and its TIROS - 1 weather satellite mission in April 1960 . Atlas ( Atlas - Agena , Atlas - Centaur , Atlas - Project Mercury ) ( 1959 – 1965 ) . 1961 proved to be a very busy year for the 6555th and its space launch contractors . Following its first two unmanned Project Mercury capsule launches for NASA in September 1959 ( Big Joe 1 ) and July 1960 ( Mercury - Atlas 1 ) , Convair launched Atlas - D boosters on three successful ( and one unsuccessful ) Project Mercury flights from Complex 14 in 1961 ( Mercury - Atlas 2 , Mercury - Atlas 3 , Mercury - Atlas 4 ) . The Douglas Aircraft Company launched three Transit navigation satellite missions from Pad 17B for the U . S . Navy , and it provided booster support for two Project Explorer missions and one TIROS mission ( TIROS - 3 ) that were launched from Pad 17A in 1961 . Aeroneutronic and the Blue Scout Branch ' s Operations Section launched a total of six space vehicles from pads 18A and 18B in 1961 . NASA Associate Administrator Robert C . Seamans , Jr . signed a joint NASA / ARDC agreement on 30 January 1961 concerning the Air Force ' s participation in the RM - 81 Agena B Launch Vehicle Program , and the 6555th ' s participation in the Centaur program was settled with NASA under a joint memorandum of agreement in April 1961 . The Air Force Ballistic Missile Division procured the ATLAS boosters required by the program , and it provided operational , administrative and technical support for those launch vehicles . NASA ' s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Goddard Space Flight Center provided the spacecraft . The Launch Operations Directorate ' s Test Support Office acted as NASA ' s formal point of contact for all agencies involved in the Agena B program on the Eastern Test Range , but the 6555th was responsible for supervising the Air Force contractors who provided the boosters for the Agena B . While many tests were observed jointly by NASA and Air Force representatives , NASA was responsible for the spacecraft , Lockheed was responsible for the Agena B , Convair was responsible for the Atlas - D booster , and the 6555th was responsible for the readiness of the entire launch vehicle . Ultimately , NASA ' s Operations and Test Director had overall responsibility for the countdown , but he received direct inputs from the 6555th ' s Test Controller concerning the vehicle ' s status on launch day . The 6555th was also allowed to assign Air Force supervisors to Convair ' s processing teams while they were working on Atlas - D boosters for the Atlas - Centaur R & D test flights . In instances where NASA ' s Launch Operations Directorate wanted procedures added to Convair ' s Atlas - D checklists , the 6555th integrated those items . NASA also agreed to coordinate Centaur test documentation with the 6555th . To avoid duplication of effort , NASA and the Air Force agreed to share " a large number of facilities " ( e . g . , Complex 36 and hangars H , J and K ) for the Centaur , Agena - B and Project Mercury efforts . Since NASA planned to use the Centaur ' s facilities first , the Air Force secured a promise from NASA to coordinate its Centaur facility and equipment modifications with the 6555th before the changes were made . The 6555th agreed to make an officer available as a consultant to NASA ' s Launch Director during Atlas - Centaur launch operations . In 1962 , Air Force contractors and the Atlas Space Branch supported three Ranger program and two Mariner program missions from Complex 12 , and they supported the first three manned orbital Mercury - Atlas missions , which were launched from Complex 14 . All those NASA missions were launched by contractors , but the Air Force implemented plans in the last half of 1962 to establish an Atlas - Agena B USAF launch capability . The Division ' s Project Mercury support mission ended following the last Mercury flight in May 1963 ( Mercury - Atlas 9 ) , but the unit still supported DOD operations on Complex 13 . It picked up Atlas - Agena B Target Vehicle operations for Project Gemini shortly thereafter . Titan II ( Thor - Titan , Titan - Project Gemini ) ( 1961 – 1966 ) . Thor - Titan Branch formed in 1961 by re - designation of Thor Booster Branch . On 10 September 1962 , the Wing established the SLV - V Division to handle the Titan III program separately , and it transferred Titan III personnel from the Thor / Titan Branch to the new division before renaming it the SLV - V / X - 20 Division on 1 October 1962 . The Thor / Titan Branch became the SLV II / IV Division on 1 October 1962 , but it was split up to form two new divisions — the SLV II Division ( for Thor ) and the Project Gemini Launch Vehicle Division for Titan II ) – on 20 May 1963 . Though Complex 17 supported seven other NASA missions in 1964 and 1965 , the two - part ASSET ( Aerothermodynamic / Elastic Structural Systems Environmental Tests ) program quickly became the SLV - II Division ' s principal interest after the first Project ASSET launch on 18 September 1963 . Under one part of the ASSET flight test program at the Cape , the second , third , and sixth hypervelocity vehicles were launched from Pad 17B on 24 March 1964 , 22 July 1964 and 23 February 1965 . Those flights were designed to gather data on the ability of materials and structures to handle the pressures and temperatures of atmospheric reentry . Though the flight on 24 March failed to meet its test objectives due to a malfunction in the Thor rocket ' s upper stage , the other two flights were successful , and the vehicle launched on 22 July was recovered . Under the other part of the ASSET flight testing , two nonrecoverable delta wing glide vehicles were launched from Pad 17B on 27 October and 8 December 1964 . Both missions were designed to obtain data on " panel flutter " under high heating conditions and information of the vehicles ' " unsteady aerodynamics " over a broad range of hypersonic speeds . Both flights were successful , and the final ASSET flight on 23 February 1965 completed the ASSET program . The Air Force had no further use for Thor rocket facilities at Cape Canaveral after the ASSET program was completed , so the Space Systems Division directed the 6555th to turn over its SLV - II facilities to NASA for the civilian agency ' s Thor - Delta ( DM - 19 ) program . In accordance with Air Force Eastern Test Range procedures , the 6555th returned the facilities to the Range in April 1965 , and the Air Force Eastern Test Range transferred them to NASA ' s Kennedy Space Center in May 1965 . The 6555th ' s Titan - Gemini Division lasted considerably longer than its SLV - II Division . The Division exercised technical test control over the Titan II GLV launch vehicle , but the Martin Company launched the booster . Martin launched the first unmanned Gemini - Titan GLV mission from Complex 19 on 8 April 1964 , and the flight succeeded in placing an unmanned 7 , 000 - pound Gemini 1 capsule into low earth orbit on that date . The first manned Gemini mission ( Gemini 3 ) was launched from Complex 19 on 23 March 1965 , and it met all of its test objectives . ( Astronauts Virgil I . Grissom and John W . Young were recovered with their capsule in the primary recovery area after three orbits on March 23d . ) Nine more pairs of astronauts were boosted into orbit aboard Gemini - Titan GLV launch vehicles in 1965 and 1966 , and seven Atlas - Agena target vehicles were launched from Complex 14 in support of six Project Gemini missions . Following the last highly successful Gemini - Titan GLV flight in November 1966 , the Gemini Launch Vehicle Division completed its mission and began transferring personnel to other Air Force bases or to other agencies under the 6555th Aerospace Test Wing . As overall manager for Project Gemini , NASA was understandably proud of its role in the highly successful effort , but the Air Force and its contractors planned , built and launched all the Titan II GLV space boosters associated with Project Gemini . Titan IIIA / C ( 1961 – 1982 ) . NASA ' s plans for the Saturn heavy - lift rocket program were already underway in 1961 , and the agency saw no need for a military heavyweight space booster for low earth orbit , geosynchronous orbit or deep space missions . Consequently , NASA resisted the Air Force ' s first attempts to secure funding for the Titan III initiative , and the Air Force had to work long and hard to prepare its case for the Titan III . It was decided that the Titan III would be developed exclusively for Department of Defense heavy - lift orbital missions after 1965 . Following that concession , initial funding for the Titan III contractual effort was granted on 11 December 1961 , and Space Systems Division ' s new 624A Systems Program Office began managing the Titan III program four days later . Initially the Titan III was planned for use in the X - 20 Dyna Soar manned space glider which could be boosted into orbit , maneuvered , and piloted back to earth . Plans for the program called for two unmanned and eight manned Titan IIIC space flights with manned glider landings at Edwards Air Force Base . At Secretary McNamara ' s request , it was stopped by president Lyndon B . Johnson in December 1963 before any space flights were flown . Though Titan III Complex 41 extended across the Cape Canaveral boundary into NASA ' s territory on Merritt Island , all property within Complex 41 ' s security fence and along the access road to the site was considered part of the Air Force ' s Titan III program . Put simply , NASA had jurisdiction over the Merritt Island Launch Area , the Saturn rocket program and Saturn rocket facilities on Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral . The Air Force had jurisdiction over Cape Canaveral , the Titan III program and all Titan III facilities , including Complex 41 . Though the Air Force Eastern Test Range and its contractors continued to provide range support for all of NASA ' s launch vehicle programs on Merritt Island and Cape Canaveral , the Saturn rocket and Titan III rocket programs were pursued as distinctly separate NASA and Air Force launch efforts . Martin launched the first Titan IIIA from Complex 20 on 1 September 1964 , and three more TITAN IIIA flights were completed before the first TITAN IIIC was launched from Complex 40 on a successful mission on 18 June 1965 . Following the fourth and final TITAN IIIA launch on 6 May 1965 , Complex 20 was deactivated and returned to the Air Force Eastern Test Range in September 1965 . Complex 41 was turned over to the Titan III Division ' s Operations Branch for beneficial occupancy on 18 June 1965 , and the facility was accepted by the Air Force in December 1965 . The first Titan IIIC lifted off Pad 41 on 21 December . The flight met most of its test objectives , including the successful release of the LES - 3 and LES - 4 communications satellites and the OSCAR IV amateur radio satellite . Two more Titan IIIC missions were launched from Complex 41 on 16 June and 26 August 1966 . The first of those flights included the successful release of seven Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program ( IDCSP ) satellites and one gravity gradient satellite , but the second flight ended after the Titan IIIC ' s payload fairing broke up approximately 79 seconds after launch . ( Eight IDCSP satellites were destroyed in the mishap . ) Another Titan IIIC was launched from Complex 40 on 3 November 1966 , and it boosted a modified Gemini 2 spacecraft and three secondary satellites into orbit during a largely successful experimental mission on that date . Since the Air Force intended to use Complex 40 for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory ( MOL ) flights . The MOL was cancelled in June 1969 . Complex 41 eventually supported all the Titan IIIC missions launched from the Cape between the beginning of 1967 and the end of the decade . It was used by Titan IIIC rockets for a Project Viking simulator mission and a Project Helios solar mission in 1974 , two NASA Project Viking ( Viking 1 , Viking 2 ) missions to Mars in 1975 , another Project Helios mission in 1976 , and two NASA Voyager program ( Voyager 1 , Voyager 2 ) missions to the outer planets in 1977 . A Defense Support Program ( DSP ) mission had just been launched from Complex 40 on 6 November 1970 , but the payload failed to achieve proper orbit . ( The spacecraft ' s operational potential was reduced as a result . ) The next Titan IIIC vehicle and its DSP payload were assembled and checked out for a launch on 5 May 1971 . The launch on 5 May was successful , and the payload was placed in a synchronous earth orbit as planned . That flight marked the 16th Titan IIIC mission in the 6555th Test Group ' s history . On 2 November 1971 , the Air Force and its contractors launched the first two Phase II Defense Satellite Communications Program ( DSCP ) satellites into near synchronous equatorial orbits from Complex 40 . That Titan IIIC mission was successful , and it marked the first in a series of classified flights destined to replace Phase I DSCP satellites that had been launched from the Cape between 16 June 1966 and 14 June 1968 . On 1 March 1972 , a Titan IIIC carrying a 1 , 800 - pound DSP satellite was launched successfully from Complex 40 . Eight days later , a Titan IIIC core vehicle ( C - 24 ) arrived via C - 5A Galaxy aircraft , and it was erected at the VIB on 16 March 1972 . It was launched successfully on 12 June 1973 . Titan IIIC launches continued throughout the 1970s when Launch Vehicle C - 37 and a twin - DSCS payload . The Launch CST was run on 12 November 1979 . Regarding the launch itself , there was one unscheduled five - minute hold during C - 37 ' s launch countdown on 20 November . The countdown resumed without further incident , and the Titan IIIC lifted off Complex 40 on the 20th at 2110 : 00 Eastern Standard Time . Both Phase II DSCS communications satellites were placed in their proper near synchronous orbits , and the mission was a complete success . The last vehicle launched under the Titan IIIC program was Launch Vehicle C - 38 . It arrived at the Cape on 24 October 1979 , and it was the last of 36 Titan IIICs launched from the Cape between 18 June 1965 and the evening of 6 March 1982 . After two years of testing , storage and retesting , C - 38 was launched on a classified mission on 6 March 1982 at 1425 : 00 Eastern Standard Time . The flight marked the end of an era at the Cape . Complex 41 was refurbished for the Titan IV program during the last half of the 1980s , but its first Titan IV launch did not take place until 14 June 1989 — almost 12 years after it was used to launch the Voyager program missions to the outer planets . Titan 34D ( 1980 – 1989 ) . As the last Titan IIIC thundered skyward , Martin Marietta and the Test Group were completing their second year of preparations for the Titan 34D ' s first launch . The effort began in earnest when the first Titan 34D core vehicle ( D - 01 ) arrived at the Cape in March 1980 . Baseline CSTs were completed in September 1980 , and , apart from a brief roundtrip ride to the SMAB on 11 November , the core vehicle remained in storage at the VIB until 18 May 1981 . The core vehicle was accepted in August 1981 , and it was moved to the SMAB on 18 January 1982 . The Titan 34D ' s operational IUS ( IUS - 2 ) arrived at the Cape on 22 December 1981 . It was taken to the SMAB , and its assembly was completed there on 8 June 1982 . Though the IUS ' preplanned acceptance testing was completed on 19 August , its formal acceptance was delayed pending additional tests required by Space Division . The IUS was mated to the launch vehicle on 1 September 1982 , and it was mated to the vehicle ' s DSCS II / III payload on 29 September . Acceptance testing was completed on 2 October , and the vehicle was prepared for launch . Launch Vehicle D - 01 ' s first Launch CST was aborted on 20 October 1982 , but its second Launch CST was completed successfully on 21 October . The countdown was picked up smoothly on 29 October at 2055Z ( Greenwich Mean Time ) , and the first TITAN 34D lifted off Complex 40 at 0405 : 01Z on 30 October 1982 . The Titan ' s flight was virtually flawless , and the IUS placed both DSCS satellites into near - perfect equatorial orbits . With the completion of this first highly successful launch operation , the Cape moved solidly into the Titan 34D era . All Titan 34D launch operations at Vandenberg and the Cape were suspended following the Titan 34D - 9 launch failure in April 1986 , but it would be wrong to conclude that the suspension allowed the 6555th Aerospace Test Group and the Air Force ' s Titan contractors to lapse into a period of inactivity . On the contrary , the space launch recovery effort and TITAN IV program initiatives kept the Test Group ' s agenda full . The Test Group supervised the initial recovery effort at the Cape . As part of that program , a Non - Destructive Testing ( NDT ) X - Ray facility was constructed in the ITL Area for the purpose of inspecting Titan solid rockets for flaws in propellant , restrictors , insulation and podding compounds . Construction of the NDT facility began on 1 October 1986 , and solid rocket motor testing was conducted there as part of the Titan 34D recovery effort from 23 December 1986 through 12 June 1987 . The last Titan 34D launched from the Cape had an extensive processing history between the time it first arrived at the Cape ( e . g . , 19 August 1981 ) and the time it was erected for the final time on Transporter No . 3 in Cell No . 1 on 13 December 1988 . The transtage was erected on the core vehicle on 28 March 1989 . The Acceptance CST was completed successfully on 23 June 1989 . Core Vehicle D - 2 was moved to the SMAB for solid rocket mating on 2 July , and Launch Vehicle D - 2 was moved out to Complex 40 on 5 July 1989 . The vehicle was mated to a classified payload and prepared for launch . Though the first Launch CST failed on 21 August , the Launch CST on 27 August was completely successful . A balky Mobile Service Tower delayed pre - launch activities on 4 September , but a 22 - minute - long user hold brought operations up to speed at T minus 30 minutes . After the countdown resumed at 0524Z , it proceeded without incident to vehicle lift - off at 0554 : 01Z on 4 September 1989 . Titan IV ( 1988 – 1990 ) . As TITAN 34D launch operations continued , the first Titan IV liquid rocket engines were installed on the Titan IV " pathfinder " vehicle at the end of January 1988 , shortly before the core vehicle was erected in the VIB . Four Titan IV solid rocket motor segments were received at the SMAB by the middle of February 1988 , and two electrical functional tests were conducted in early March . As " bugs " were worked out of various systems , the core vehicle had its first successful CST on 11 May 1988 . The vehicle was moved to the SMAB around the middle of May . Following a successful mate with two five - segment stacks of solid rocket motor segments , the pathfinder vehicle was moved out to Complex 41 on Saturday , 21 May . The first Titan IV vehicle supported a classified mission . Its launch had been scheduled for 7 June 1989 , but the lift - off was pushed to 14 June due to a range timing generator problem and a computer malfunction . The countdown was picked up at 0254Z on 14 June . Two unscheduled holds were called to let the launch team catch up on checklist items that were behind schedule , and another hold was called for a high temperature reading on the vehicle ' s S - Band transmitter . Following the last unscheduled hold , the countdown proceeded uneventfully , and the Titan IV lifted off Complex 41 at 1318 : 01Z on 14 June 1989 . Navstar Global Positioning System and development of the Delta II ( 1978 – 1990 ) . The Navstar Global Positioning System ( GPS ) program opened up a whole new field for space support operations at the Cape in the 1980s : the launching of satellites to provide highly accurate three - dimensional ground , sea and air navigation . The U . S . Navy and Air Force began the effort in the early 1960s with a series of studies and experiments dealing with the feasibility of using satellite - generated radio signals to improve the effectiveness of military navigation . After ten years of extensive research , the services concluded that Defense Department requirements would be best served by a single , highly precise , satellite - based Global Positioning System ( GPS ) . In December 1973 , the Defense Navigation Satellite System ( later known as Navstar GPS ) entered its concept validation phase . The technology necessary to field the GPS was confirmed during that phase , and four advanced development model Block I Navstar satellites were launched on converted SM - 65F Atlas boosters from Vandenberg ' s Space Launch Complex 3 ( East ) between 22 February and 11 December 1978 . Two more Block I satellites ( Navstar 5 and Navstar 6 ) were launched on converted SM - 65F Atlas boosters from Vandenberg Complex 3 ( East ) on 9 February and 26 April 1980 . By the end of 1980 , the Navstar GPS constellation was arranged in two orbital planes of three satellites each , orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 10 , 900 nautical miles . Following the GPS development phase in the early 1980s , the Air Force planned to procure and deploy a constellation of 24 Block II GPS satellites via Space Shuttle launches by the end of 1987 . Funding cuts in 1980 and 1981 reduced the planned constellation to 18 Block II satellites and added a year to their deployment , but the program continued to move ahead . A Block I replenishment satellite was launched on a converted SM - 65E Atlas booster from Vandenberg Complex 3 ( East ) on 18 December 1981 . Unfortunately , a hot gas generator on one of the Atlas booster ' s main engines failed shortly after lift - off , and the vehicle crashed about 150 yards from the pad . The next replenishment satellite launch was postponed while Atlas engines were refurbished and test - fired in 1982 , but the mission was finally launched successfully from Vandenberg Complex 3 ( West ) on 14 July 1983 . The satellite ( Navstar 8 ) replaced Navstar I in the 240 - degree orbital plane of the GPS constellation . The last three Block I satellite missions ( Navstars 9 , 10 and 11 ) were launched on converted SM - 65E Atlas boosters from Complex 3 ( West ) on 13 June 1984 , 8 September 1984 and 8 October 1985 . All three launches were successful , and the satellites performed as planned . Testing of the first Block II satellite was well underway in 1985 , but the Navstar II satellite program was already markedly behind schedule . By the fall of 1985 , the first Block II mission had to be rescheduled from October 1986 to January 1987 . Following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in January 1986 , the GPS Program Office replanned the first eight Block II satellites for flights on the new Delta II expendable Medium Launch Vehicle in lieu of the Space Shuttle . Space Division awarded the Medium Launch Vehicle ( MLV ) contract to McDonnell - Douglas Astronautics Company on 21 January 1987 . However , unlike earlier commercial arrangements , the company would no longer be under contract to NASA . Under the new Commercial Expendable Launch Vehicle program encouraged by president Ronald Reagan since 1983 , McDonnell - Douglas would be responsible for producing , marketing and launching its commercial Delta IIs . The Air Force would be responsible for ensuring safety and environmental standards for commercial as well as military launches , but McDonnell - Douglas would have greater responsibility in meeting those standards ( including quality control ) . Both launch pads ( 17A and 17B ) would be equipped to handle commercial and Defense Department missions . McDonnell - Douglas and its subcontractors were soon hard at work preparing the pads for the new Delta II vehicles . Like the Titan and Atlas lines of launch vehicles , the Delta II line was built on major components supplied by several different contractors . McDonnell - Douglas built the basic core vehicle and supplied fairing materials at its plant in Huntington Beach , California , but it shipped them to another plant in Pueblo , Colorado for further assembly and / or match ups with other contractors ' components . Rocketdyne provided the Delta ' s main engine , and Aerojet supplied the vehicle ' s second stage engine . Delco supplied the inertial guidance system , and Morton Thiokol built the strap - on solid rocket motors used for the basic Model 6925 Delta II vehicle . The first and second stages were transported to the Horizontal Processing Facility ( HPF ) in Area 55 for destruct system installation . Following processing at the HPF , both stages were moved to Complex 17 and erected . At Complex 17 , the entire process came together to create a complete Delta II launch vehicle . Unfortunately , trouble loomed from a different quarter in July 1988 : McDonnell - Douglas ran into trouble getting some fiber optic equipment it ordered for Pad 17A , and the first Delta II launch was rescheduled from 13 October 1988 to 8 December 1988 . Following additional delays and pre - launch tests , the countdown was begun on 12 February 1989 , but it was scrubbed at 1827Z due to excessive high altitude winds . The countdown was picked up again on 14 February , and lift - off was recorded at 1829 : 59 . 988Z on 14 February 1989 . The first Delta II placed the first Navstar II GPS payload into the proper transfer orbit . The mission was a success . Following the first Navstar II GPS mission on 14 February 1989 , the GPS Program Office hoped to have five Navstar II satellites in orbit by the end of September , but only three of those spacecraft had been launched by that time . Since twelve Block II satellites would be needed to give the GPS constellation its first worldwide two - dimensional navigation capability , planners estimated that capability could not be achieved before the spring of 1991 . In point of fact , six more Navstar II satellites were launched over the next year . Iraq ' s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 provided additional incentive for McDonnell - Douglas and the Air Force to rise to the challenge . Navstar II - 9 ( the last of the six Navstars mentioned ) lifted off on 1 October 1990 , and it was placed in orbit over the Middle East . The satellite ' s on - orbit testing program was completed in record time , and Navstar II - 9 was turned over to Air Force Space Command on 24 October 1990 . Navstar II - 10 was launched successfully on 26 November 1990 . With II - 10 in operation , the GPS network provided two - dimensional coordinates with an average accuracy of 4 . 5 meters during Operation Desert Storm . The Navstar system ' s three - dimensional accuracy averaged 8 . 3 meters during the war . The GPS Program Office hoped to launch five Block IIA Navstar spacecraft by October 1991 , but component problems associated with the new design caused lengthy delays . Only two Block IIA missions were launched by October 1991 , but five more Block IIA launches were completed by the end of 1992 . The constellation was well on its way to full operational status by the beginning of 1993 . Space Shuttle military missions . The 6555th Aerospace Test Group established its Space Transportation System ( STS ) Division on 1 July 1974 . The Division was created to ensure that Defense Department requirements were included in plans for future Space Shuttle operations at the NASA Kennedy Space Center ( KSC ) . As two of its earliest accomplishments , the Division got NASA to agree to the Defense Department ' s requirement for vertical payload installations at the Shuttle launch pad and a secure conference area in the Firing Room of the Shuttle Launch Control Center ( LCC ) . The Division continued to serve as an intermediary between KSC and the Defense Department payload community . The Division not only gave the payload community a better understanding of schedule and contractual constraints affecting KSC ground operations , it also gathered a more detailed set of requirements from military payload programs to help NASA support those programs . The Division also helped the 6595th Space Test Group develop requirements for a Shuttle Launch Processing System at Vandenberg Air Force Base . The Division also provided selection criteria and background information to help the Space and Missile Systems Organization select its Shuttle payload integration contractor . Martin Marietta was awarded the Shuttle payload integration contract on 15 September 1977 . As preparations for military space shuttle operations continued , the STS Division identified and analyzed many problems associated with " factory - to - pad " processing of military payloads . The Division ' s findings helped justify the need for an off - line Shuttle Payload Integration Facility ( SPIF ) , and they convinced the AFSC Commander to approve the SMAB ' s west bay as the site for the SPIF in January 1979 . As work on the SPIF got underway , the 6555th Aerospace Test Group formed the STS / IUS Site Activation Team in September 1981 to address problems associated with the first IUS processed aboard the Shuttle . The STS Division and the Satellite Systems Division were consolidated to form the Spacecraft Division on 1 November 1983 . The first military Space Shuttle mission , STS - 4 , was launched from Pad 39A at 1500Z on 27 June 1982 . Military space missions also accounted for part or all of 14 out of 37 Shuttle flights launched from the Cape between August 1984 and July 1992 . While many details of those missions are not releasable , some features of Shuttle payload ground processing operations and range support requirements can be summarized for what might be termed a " typical " military space mission . One process common to many military Shuttle missions was the preparation of the Inertial Upper Stage ( IUS ) . Though the ultimate destination of the IUS was mission - specific , the IUS was processed in one of two basic assembly / checkout flows ( i . e . , one for military payloads and the other for NASA spacecraft ) . Before either process began , the Inertial Upper Stage ' s structural assemblies , avionics and flight batteries were received at hangars E and H and placed in various storage areas at the Cape . At the appropriate time , all vehicle elements were transferred to the SMAB , where they were assembled and checked out . Following power up checks and functional testing , the military IUS was cleaned and transferred to the SPIF . For civilian missions , IUSs entered a different assembly / checkout flow at this point in the process . They were sent directly to NASA ' s Vertical Processing Facility on Merritt Island . Units . Assigned units Attached units