Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 21

Launch Complex 21
Mace launch from LC-21
Interactive map of Launch Complex 21
Launch siteCape Canaveral Space Force Station
Location28°27′38″N 80°32′24″W / 28.46056°N 80.54000°W / 28.46056; -80.54000
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
• Summer (DST)
UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Short nameLC-21
OperatorUnited States Space Force
Total launches41
Launch pad2
LC-21/1 launch history
StatusInactive
Launches38
First launch24 July 1958
Last launch17 July 1963
Associated
rockets
LC-21/2 launch history
StatusInactive
Launches3
First launch4 December 1962
Last launch28 June 1963
Associated
rockets
MGM-13 Mace
4km
2.5miles
28
28
27
27
26
26
25
25
24
24
23
23
22
22
21
20
20
19
19 SLC-46
(Various)
18
18
17
17 LC-36
(New Glenn)
16
16
15
15
14
14
13
13
12
12
11
11
10
10
9
8
7
6
5
5 SLC-40 (Falcon 9)
4
4 SLC-41
(Atlas, Vulcan)
3
2
2 LC-39A (F9, FH)
1
1 LC-39B (SLS)

  Active pads
  Active pads not used for launches
  Inactive leased pads
  Inactive unleased pads

Launch Complex 21 (LC-21) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida is a launch complex that was used for horizontal launches of cruise missiles between 1958 and 1963. It initially consisted of a single launch rail, from which XSM-73 Bull Goose missiles were tested. Between 1959 and 1960, the complex was rebuilt for the MGM-13 Mace, with a second rail added, and a large concrete structure erected around the launch rails, earning the pad the nickname of "the hardsite".

It shared a blockhouse with Launch Complex 22 was also used for Bull Goose and Mace launches. Unusual for a U.S. launch site, the individual pads in the complex have numerical designations, similar to those used by the Soviet Union, rather than alphabetical designations as used on most other U.S. complexes.