The Cape: Military Space Operations 1971-1992 - USAF Space Programs, Space Shuttle, Titan Rocket, Delta II, Navstar, Atlas/Centaur, Starbird, Red Tigress

This is the companion volume to an earlier work, "The 6555th: Missile and Space Launches Through 1970." It presents the Air Force's space launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) from the beginning of 1971 through 2 July 1992. Though the focus of this monograph is the 6555th Aerospace Test Group's operations at the Cape, the work places those activities within the larger context of U.S. Air Force space operations conducted under two major commands: Air Force Systems Command and Air Force Space Command. The last chapter presents a brief review of NASA, Defense Department and Eastern Space and Missile Center (ESMC) studies that address future space operations at the Cape.

This is an unclassified monograph, so details concerning launch vehicle performance on classified space flights are limited by strict security guidelines. References to other aspects of classified space programs are presented in their officially releasable context. Many of the 6555th's efforts involved unclassified programs (e.g., DSCS, NAVSTAR II, FLTSATCOM, NATO III, etc.), so the details of those operations can be presented as openly as possible. Thus, while security considerations have limited our story somewhat, we believe the reader will come away with an objective picture of the Cape's military space operations after 1970.

Chapter I -USAF Space Organizations and Programs * Section 1 - Air Force Systems Command and Subordinate Space Agencies at Cape Canaveral * Section 2 - The Creation of Air Force Space Command and Transfer of Air Force Space Resources * Section 3 - Defense Department Involvement in the Space Shuttle * Section 4 - Air Force Space Launch Vehicles: SCOUT, THOR, ATLAS and TITAN * Section 5 - Early Space Shuttle Flights * Section 6 - Origins of the TITAN IV Program * Section 7 - Development of the ATLAS II and DELTA II Launch Vehicles and the TITAN IV/CENTAUR Upper Stage * Section 8 - Space Shuttle Support of Military Payloads * Section 9 - U.S. and Soviet Military Space Competition in the 1970s and 1980s * Chapter II - TITAN and Shuttle Military Space Operations * Section 1 - 6555th Aerospace Test Group Responsibilities * Section 2 - Launch Squadron Supervision of Military Space Operations in the 1990s * Section 3 - TITAN IV Launch Contractors and Eastern Range Support Contractors * Section 4 - Quality Assurance and Payload Processing Agencies * Section 5 - TITAN IIIC Military Space Missions after 1970 * Section 6 - TITAN 34D Military Space Operations and Facilities at the Cape * Section 7 - TITAN IV Program Activation and Completion of the TITAN 34D Program * Section 8 - TITAN IV Operations after First Launch * Section 9 - Space Shuttle Military Missions * Chapter III - Medium and Light Military Space Operations * Section 1 - Medium Launch Vehicle and Payload Operations * Section 2 - Evolution of the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System and Development of the DELTA II * Section 3 - DELTA II Processing and Flight Features * Section 4 - NAVSTAR II Global Positioning System Missions * Section 5 - Strategic Defense Initiative Missions and the NATO IVA Mission * Section 6 - ATLAS/CENTAUR Missions at the Cape * Section 7 - Modification of Cape Facilities for ATLAS II/CENTAUR Operations * Section 8 - ATLAS II/CENTAUR Missions * Section 9 - STARBIRD and RED TIGRESS Operations * Section 10 - U.S. Air Force and NASA Leadership in Space * Chapter IV - Future Space Operations * Section 1 - The National Space Transportation and Support Study * Section 2 - The Space Transportation Architecture Study and Advanced Launch System (ALS) Studies * Section 3 - The ESMC 2005 Study and Prospects for the Current Generation of Unmanned Space Launch Vehicles