Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 ( LC - 34 ) is a launch site on Cape Canaveral , Florida . LC - 34 and its twin to the north , LC - 37 , were used by NASA as part of the Apollo Program to launch Saturn I and IB rocket s from 1961 through 1968 . It was the site of the Apollo 1 fire , which claimed the lives of astronauts Gus Grissom , Ed White , and Roger Chaffee on January 27 , 1967 . History . Construction . Work began on LC - 34 in 1960 , and it was formally dedicated on June 5 , 1961 . The complex consisted of a launch platform , umbilical tower , mobile service tower , fueling facilities , and a blockhouse . Two steel flame deflectors were mounted on rails to allow placement beneath the launch platform . The service tower was likewise mounted on rails , and it was towed to a position 185 meters west of the pad before launch . At 95 meters high , it was the tallest structure at LC - 34 . The blockhouse , located 320 meters from the pad , was modeled after the domed reinforced concrete structure at LC - 20 . During a launch , it could accommodate 130 people as well as test and instrumentation equipment . Periscopes afforded views outside of the windowless facility . Saturn I series . LC - 34 saw its first launch on October 27 , 1961 . The first Saturn I , Block I , mission SA - 1 , lofted a dummy upper stage on a suborbital trajectory into the Atlantic . The subsequent three Saturn I launches took place at LC - 34 , ending with SA - 4 on March 28 , 1963 . The six ensuing Saturn I , Block II launches were conducted at LC - 37 . Saturn IB series . LC - 34 was extensively modified to support Saturn IB launches , which began in February 1966 . New anchor points were built to fasten the service structure in place during high winds . Access arms on the umbilical tower were rebuilt to match the larger rocket . At the 67 - meter level , the swing arm was outfitted with a white room to permit access to the command module at the top of a rocket . Two Saturn IBs ( AS - 201 and AS - 202 ) were successfully launched from LC - 34 before the Apollo 1 fire brought Apollo activities at the spaceport to an abrupt halt . After the fire , extinguishing equipment was installed at the top of the umbilical tower , and a slide wire was set up to provide astronauts a quick escape in the event of an emergency . The first manned Apollo launch — Apollo 7 on October 11 , 1968 — was the last time LC - 34 was used . NASA considered reactivating both LC - 34 and LC - 37 for the Apollo Applications Program , but instead LC - 39B was modified to launch Saturn IBs . Launch Complex 34 today . After the decommissioning of LC - 34 , the umbilical tower and service structure were razed , leaving only the launch platform standing at the center of the pad . It serves as a memorial to the crew of Apollo 1 . A dedicatory plaque affixed to the structure bears the inscription : " LAUNCH COMPLEX 34 " " Friday , 27 January 1967 " " 1831 Hours " " Dedicated to the living memory of the crew of the Apollo 1 " : " U . S . A . F . Lt . Colonel Virgil I . Grissom " " U . S . A . F . Lt . Colonel Edward H . White , II " " U . S . N . Lt . Commander Roger B . Chaffee " " They gave their lives in service to their country in the ongoing exploration of humankind ' s final frontier . Remember them not for how they died but for those ideals for which they lived . " Another plaque ( which was shown in the film " Armageddon " ) reads : " IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE SO OTHERS COULD REACH THE STARS " " AD ASTRA PER ASPERA " " ( A ROUGH ROAD LEADS TO THE STARS ) " " GOD SPEED TO THE CREW OF APOLLO 1 " Also surviving at the LC - 34 site are the two flame deflectors and the blockhouse . Launch history . This is a complete list of all launches made from LC - 34 .