User:Beachgrinch/Sandbox/ER

The Eastern Range (ER) is the rocket range with the primary mission of supporting easterly missile and rocket launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The range is managed by the Air Force's 45th Space Wing and operated by the current Range Contractor Computer Sciences Raytheon (CSR).

Eastern Range Stations

The ER begins at the Launch Complexes at CCAFS, with permanent Tracking Stations extending downrange into the Atlantic Ocean.

Uprange Stations

Launch Tracking operations begin with the Tracking Stations located on CCAFS and the imediate geographical area. Radar, Telemetry, Optical and Command Destruct assets begin acquisition of the launch vehichle prior to or seconds after T-0.

Patrick Air Force Base

Headquarters of the Eastern Range and home of the 45th Space wing.

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Launch head for the Eastern Range.

Launch Complexes

CCAFS contains numerous launch facilities constructed during its almost 60 year history. LC-17, LC-37 and LC-41 are the only pads currently supporting orbital launches,

Morrell Operations Center (MOC)

Provides flight safety, weather, scheduling, and instrumentation target designation support in real time for each missile and space launch. The Morrell Operations Center was named after the late Major General Jimmey R. Morrell on 2007-11-02; previously, it was known as the Range Operations Control Center (ROCC).

Tel-4

Located within the boundaries of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Merritt Island, Florida, Tel-4 provides data acquisition, storage, processing, redistribution and retransmission to range user’s outside facilities.

Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex (JDMTA)

Approximately 100 miles south of Cape Canaveral and located an isolated corner of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex (JDMTA) provides radar, telemetry, command, and communications from a unique integrated control facility.

History

Established as the Joint Long Range Proving Ground under Public Law 60 on May 11, 1949, the Eastern Range has had a number of names throughout it's history. The next year the "Joint" in the title was removed, and the range became the Long Range Proving Ground under the Long Range Proving Ground Division. The first missile launch, a modification of a captured V-2 called Bumper #8, occured on 1950-07-24

On 1951-07-30, the range was renamed the Florida Missile Test Range under the newly redesignated Air Force Missile Test Center. The range supported it's first 5000 mile long missile launch on 1957-10-31. It was renamed again in May, 1958, becomming the Atlantic Missile Range, a name it held until 1964-05-15 when it was redesignated the Eastern Test Range under the control of the Air Force Eastern Test Range. The Air Force Eastern Test Range was inactiveated on 1977-02-01 and control of the range passed first to Detachment 1 of the Space and Missile Test Center at Vandenburg AFB until the Eastern Space and Missile Center (ESMC)was activated at Patrick AFB on 1979-10-01, a move that put both the Eastern and Western Ranges under the same leadership. On 1991-11-12, the functions of the ESMC were transfered to the newly activiated 45th Space Wing.. The current Designation of the range is simply the Eastern Range.

Historic Locations

Eastern Test Range, circa 1957.

Apart from the currently active stations mentioned above, several others were built and subsequently either abandoned or reallocated for other missions.

Dominican Republic

Became operational on 1956-12-05. Returned to the Dominican Government on 1962-11-06

Eleuthera

Became operational in August 1955. Upgraded to help support Miniuteman missile tests in the early 1960's. Transfered to the US Navy on 1971-07-01

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

Identified as a station candidate in October 1952, an agreement with the Brazillian Government was signed on 1957-01-21. The station was activated on 1958-09-18. Returned to Brazil 1969-01-14

Grand Bahama Island

Established by the end of 1954, this station continued in operation until JDMTA was built and took over it's mission. On 1987-06-30, the Grand Bahama station was placed into caretaker status until it was handed over to the Government of the Bahama's on 1988-01-30.

Grand Turk

Became operational in August 1955. Deactivated in the early 1980's.

Mayaguana

Became operational on 1955-07-18. All facilities, apart from the airfield, abandoned on 1970-06-16.

San Salvador

Became operational in August 1955. Placed in caretaker status in March 1965. Officially closed on 1970-01-31.

Pretoria, South Africa

Acquired in February 1961. Radar and Telemetry systems mothballed in December 1969. Returned to the Republic of South Africa on 1996-01-08.

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and the East Island Annex

Established in the early 1950's, Mayaguez was deactivated on in August 1961; the submarine cable to Cape Canaveral, which was finished in December 1954, continued to serve the East Island Annex from it's activation in April 1961 until it's deactivation in September 1963. The East Island Annex was formally disposed of on 1967-02-16.

St. Lucia

Identified as a station candidate in October 1952, an agreement with the British Government was signed on 1956-06-26. The site was activated on 1956-12-05. Range property eliminated or transfered to the Government of St. Lucia by early December 1967.

The range consisted of a chain of shore and sea based tracking sites. "By January 1960, the Eastern Range included 13 major stations, approximately 91 outlying sites, a fleet of ships and three marine support stations. By September 1963, the Eastern Range extended around the tip of South Africa to the island of Mahé in the Indian Ocean." Eventually all of the sea based tracking and many of the land based stations were replaced by space based tracking, including the present TDRS.

See also

• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
• Pan American Airways Guided Missile Range Division
• Ascension Island
• US Air Force ships
• Missile Test Project
• DAMP Project
• Pacific Missile Range Facility