Our stay in Orlando continues with a day trip to Port Canaveral. Last time we were on the Space Coast, we were headed home before Covid shut things down in 2020. We thought we could see the lighthouse on our way by, but entry was restricted by the U.S. Air Force. On this visit we came prepared.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this series, visit Seeking the Sun 2023.

Port Canaveral Lighthouse and Spaceflight Tour

“The Lighthouse guided the first explorers along the coast, stood tall with the dawn of spaceflight, and continues to shine as we embark toward the new frontier of interplanetary travel. Join us on a journey through the evolution of exploration.” ~ READ MORE

On our very first trip to Florida, we took a day trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Today we’ll take a four-hour Lighthouse and Spaceflight tour at Port Canaveral. Although these two facilities are adjacent and both launch rockets, they are two separate facilities. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is owned and operated by NASA since 1962. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) owns and operates Cape Canaveral and also owns the airspace over both. so they give the ‘GO’ for launch for both facilities.

Since Port Canaveral is an active military installation (as we found out last time), driving a private vehicle onto the facility is not permitted. This time we scheduled a tour, even earlier than the required two days in advance, so our IDs and information could be processed through Space Force Security. See the Visit page for more information on tours.

And the Tour Begins

We met our van and tour guides at Exploration Tower, which unfortunately was closed for a maintenance project. Exploration Tower is a new and exciting place to “Have a Lunch or Watch a Launch.” From their two observation decks, there will be spectacular views of Port Canaveral and the surrounding area. As of today (1/1/24), it’s still not open but once it is, check the website for future launches because that would probably be an event to remember!

From the Tower we headed toward Port Canaveral for a pretty close-up view of a few rocket boosters and the beautiful blue waters between us.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

“The Cape is an installation of Space Launch Delta 45 adjacent to Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Space Coast. Coupled with Patrick Space Force Base, the Cape functions as the World’s Premier Gateway to Space.” ~ READ MORE

Sands Space History Museum

Named after Major General Harry J. ‘Bud’ Sands Jr., this museum is located just outside of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, so no access pass is required and admission is free. It contains historic information and displays for each Launch Complex (LC) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The chain blocking the sidewalk let us know we were not invited to visit the SpaceX Launch Ops building, but there was plenty of other stuff to keep us busy!

Launch Complex 26 Blockhouse

“The blockhouse is similar to other structures built at CCAFS in the mid 1950s. The walls are two-feet thick, and the dome-shaped roof varies from approximately five-feet thick along the edges to nearly eight-feet directly overhead.

The windows are composed of three segments of glass, each comprised of 15 layers of one-quarter inch glass, for a total of 45 layers of glass per window, measuring about one-foot thick. The double set of blast doors are made of heavy armor-like plating. This sturdy construction was to afford those working in the blockhouse (situated a mere 400 feet from the launch pads) with a measure of protection from an explosion.

The launch complex was deactivated in 1963, and in 1964 was designated for use as a space museum.” ~ READ MORE

The Site of the first Manned Launch

“Built on this site in 1957, the Mercury Control Center, later renamed Mission Control, was the United States’ first mission control for unmanned and manned space programs under the leadership of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The center housed critical launch equipment for the Mercury and Gemini programs. These programs made crucial advancements in the development of spaceflight, including placing astronauts in suborbital and orbital space within and outside a spacecraft, and safely returning them to Earth…

After mission control functions were transferred to Houston, TX, the center provided backup for the initial launch and trajectory. Before the facility’s demolition in 2010, its essential historic components were removed for preservation and are displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.” ~ From the first sign below.

Launch Complex 26

“America’s entry into the Space Race occurred on 31 January 1958 with the launch of Explorer I from Pad A of Launch Complex 26 (Pad 26A). It was boosted into orbit atop a Juno rocket as part of America’s participation in the International Geophysical Year, a worldwide study of the Earth and its environment. Instruments aboard Explorer I discovered the Van Allen radiation belt.” ~ From the sign below.

Hangar C

Hangar C was built in 1953, making it the oldest missile assembly building onsite. Today it houses approximately thirty rocket and missile restorations, along with signs telling the story of each. It was pretty amazing really, and this stop was way more than just the lighthouse tour I was expecting!

“From 1953 to 1956, Hangar C was the only permanent missile assembly building on the Cape, until additional hangars went up in the Industrial Area. As a result, nearly every type of Air Force long-range guided missile program at the Cape between those years utilized the hangar. Hangar C also played a supporting role in the achievements of the U.S. Navy’s Project Vanguard, the country’s first official satellite program and the second successful U.S. satellite program after the U.S. Army’s Explorer series. The building continued to function as a missile assembly building until 1994.” ~ READ MORE

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse

“The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has stood on the Cape for over 150 years. Situated amidst America’s Premier Gateway to Space, the lighthouse is owned by the United States Space Force and maintained as an active aid to navigation by the United States Coast Guard. Visits to the lighthouse, museum, and gift shop are available via prescheduled tours, only.” ~ READ MORE

The Interior

We spent about an hour at the Lighthouse, and a docent provided a semi-guided tour. The first five floors of the lighthouse inside are available for climbing and we exited via the third floor staircase outside the lighthouse. Plenty of signage gave us an idea of what each floor was used for, and someone was there to answer questions at all times.

If you think your job sucks, read the informational sign for “The 5th Level Facts and Features.”

The Lighthouse Gift Shop

Of course no facility (anywhere) is complete without a gift shop! And this one has more information and souvenirs to purchase. The last two photos were texted to me from one of the women working in the VC. Aren’t they just beautiful?

There is also a map of the 31 lighthouses in Florida and if you check out my “Lighthouses” Category, you may just find quite a few! Probably the post with the most highly-concentrated number of Lighthouses in Florida is “The Scenic Route“.

Watch a Launch (or two!)

On December 28th there were two launches that were pretty exciting! One was from KSC and the other from CCSFS. Check out the videos below!

Up next: Two Lights and a Wildlife Refuge

Happy trails,
Barb