Moments in a longer story.

These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.

1. 1 July 1962

   Launch Operations Center

   NASA establishes its Launch Operations Center on Merritt Island.

2. 29 November 1963

   Named for Kennedy

   President Lyndon B. Johnson renames the centre the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

3. 1963

   First visitors

   NASA begins self-guided tours for the public.

4. 1965

   Built for Apollo

   The Vehicle Assembly Building is completed in June, and both pads of Launch Complex 39 by October.

5. 22 July 1966

   Bus tours begin

   Public bus tours of the centre start.

6. 1967

   Half a million visitors

   In its first year, the visitor complex welcomes 500,000 people.

7. 16 July 1969

   Apollo 11

   Apollo 11 launches from Pad 39A on a Saturn V rocket.

8. 12 April 1981

   The first shuttle

   Columbia launches on STS-1, the first Space Shuttle mission.

9. 17 December 1996

   Apollo/Saturn V Center

   The Apollo/Saturn V Center opens at the visitor complex.

10. 29 June 2013

    Atlantis on display

    The Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit opens.

11. 2016

    Heroes & Legends

    Heroes & Legends opens, home of the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

12. 16 November 2022

    Artemis I

    NASA’s Space Launch System lifts off from Pad 39B on Artemis I.

A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.

• Read the History page→
• Explore heritage→