Today in the history of astronomy, the facility that eventually will become the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and Kennedy Space Center is established.

| Published: May 11, 2026

The first rocket launches at Cape Canaveral -- the Bumper V-2 on July 24, 1950. Credit: NASA

After the end of World War II, the U.S. military searched for a location for a new long-range missile testing facility, having found the existing White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico to be too small. After a failed attempt to establish the site in California, the Committee on Long Range Proving Grounds recommended Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The location was ideal, with a large flight path area over the Atlantic Ocean and away from population centers and shipping lanes.…