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{{About|the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center|underground facilities used to launch ICBMs|Missile launch control center|other topics|launch control (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name            = Launch Control Center
| image           = Artemis I - First Joint Launch Countdown Simulation (cropped).jpg
| caption         = [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39|LC-39]] Launch Control Center
| nearest_city    = [[Titusville, Florida]]
| coordinates     = {{coord|28|35|7|N|80|38|59|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin        = Florida#USA
| area            = 12,047 m<sup>2</sup>
| built           = 1967
| added           = {{dts|2000|01|21}}
| visitation_num  =
| visitation_year =
| refnum          = 99001645<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| mpsub           = [[John F. Kennedy Space Center MPS]]
}}
The '''Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center''' (commonly known as just the '''Launch Control Center''' or '''LCC''') is a four-story building at [[NASA]]'s [[Kennedy Space Center]] on [[Merritt Island, Florida]], used to manage [[rocket launch|launches]] of [[launch vehicles]] from [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39]]. Attached to the southeast corner of the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]], the LCC contains offices; [[telemetry]], tracking, and instrumentation equipment; and firing rooms.

LCC has conducted launches since the [[unmanned]] [[Apollo 4]] (Apollo-Saturn 501) launch on November 9, 1967. LCC's first launch with a [[manned spaceflight | human crew]] was [[Apollo 8]] on December 21, 1968. NASA's [[Space Shuttle program]] also used LCC. NASA has renovated the center for  [[Space Launch System]] (SLS) missions, which began in 2022 with [[Artemis 1]]. In February 2022, the center was renamed after former [[director of launch operations]] [[Rocco Petrone|Rocco A. Petrone]].<ref>{{cite press release |last1=Cawley |first1=James |title=NASA Kennedy's Control Center Named for Apollo-Era Launch Director |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-kennedy-s-control-center-named-for-apollo-era-launch-director |access-date=3 April 2022 |work=NASA |date=22 February 2022}}</ref>

==Firing rooms==
[[Image:KSCFiringroom1.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Firing Room 1 configured for [[Space Shuttle]] launches]]
[[Image:Firing Room -2 During Apollo 12 CDDT - GPN-2000-000632.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Firing Room 2 as it appeared in the Apollo era]]
[[Image:S-IB Networks panel.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A Saturn I-B control panel from an Apollo-era Firing Room]]
Launch operations are supervised and controlled from several [[Control room|control rooms]] known as "firing rooms". The controllers are in control of pre-launch checks, the [[Booster (rocketry)|booster]] and spacecraft. Once the rocket has cleared the [[Service structure|launch tower]] (usually within the first 10–15 seconds), is when control is switched over to the mission's mission control center (the [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center]] at the [[Johnson Space Center]] in [[Houston, Texas]] for NASA launches or [[SpaceX]] Mission Control Center in [[Hawthorne, California]] for SpaceX launches.)

Extensive renovation of Firing Room 4 was finished in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-24 |title=Firing Rooms at Kennedy Space Center |url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/714795main_firing-rooms.pdf}}</ref>

Firing Room 4 was leased by [[SpaceX]] and serves as their launch control center for [[Launch Complex 39A]] until August 2023 when the company moved into its own facility just before the launch of the [[SpaceX Crew-7|Crew-7]] mission.<ref>{{cite press release |date= May 30, 2020 |title= NASA Astronauts Launch from America in Historic Test Flight of SpaceX Crew Dragon |url= https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-astronauts-launch-from-america-in-historic-test-flight-of-spacex-crew-dragon
|publisher= NASA |access-date= June 1, 2020}}</ref><ref> {{Cite tweet |
|last=Clark |first=Stephen |user=StephenClark1 |number=1683897865284853760 |date=July 25, 2023 |title=A couple bits of info from the Crew-7 preview news conference: SpaceX has begun using a new launch control center at the company's Hangar X facility at KSC for Starlink missions. It'll be used to control the Falcon Heavy/Jupiter 3 launch Wednesday night, then again for Crew-7. |access-date= October 3, 2024}}</ref>

==Key personnel==

===Launch Director (LD)===

The Launch Director is the head of the launch team, and is responsible for making the final "go" or "no go" decision for launch after polling the relevant team members. There have been eight different Space Shuttle launch directors between 1981 and 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Space Shuttle Launch Directors|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/space-shuttle-launch-directors.pdf|access-date=November 7, 2022|publisher=NASA}}</ref>

===Flow Director (FD)===

The Flow Director is responsible for the preparation of the spacecraft for launch, and remains in the LCC in an advisory capacity.

===NASA Test Director (NTD)===

The NASA Test Director is responsible for all pre-launch testing, whether involving the flight crew, the orbiter, the external tank/solid rocket booster, or ground support equipment. The NTD is also responsible for the safety of all personnel on the pad after fuelling has occurred. Reports to the Launch Director.

===Orbiter Test Conductor (OTC)===

The Orbiter Test Conductor is in charge of all pre-flight checkout and testing of the orbiter, and manages the engineers in the firing room who monitor the orbiter's systems. OTC is an employee of a contractor rather than of NASA.

===Tank/Booster Test Conductor (TBC)===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

===Payload Test Conductor (PTC)===

The Payload Test Conductor is responsible for the pre-flight test and checkout of payloads carried by the orbiter and manages the engineering and test teams responsible for monitoring and controlling payload ground operations. PTC is a contractor member of the Space Shuttle Team.

===Launch Processing System Coordinator (LPS)===

The LPS Coordinator monitors and oversees the LPS System; specifically, the desired launch rate, Space Shuttle ''stacking'' (assembly), and all safety requirements. This is made possible by the [[Launch Processing System]], or LPS &mdash; a highly automated, computer-controlled system that oversees the entire checkout and launch process.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lps.html |title=NASA: ''KSC Launch Control Center'' |access-date=2009-08-12 |archive-date=2020-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924185515/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lps.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Support Test Manager (STM)===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

===Safety Console Coordinator (SAFETY)===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

===Shuttle Project Engineer (SPE)===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

=== Landing and Recovery Director (LRD) ===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

=== No Landing and Recovery Director (NLRD)===
{{Empty section|date=June 2025}}

===Superintendent of Range Operations (SRO)===

The Superintendent of Range Operations ensures that all tracking and communications systems are ready to support the launch operation as well as ensuring that downrange airspace and splashdown areas remain clear for launch, and monitors weather near the launch site.

===Ground Launch Sequencer Engineer (CGLS)===

The Ground Launch Sequencer Engineer is responsible for monitoring the operation of the automated Ground Launch Sequencer system, which controls the countdown from T−9 minutes until launch. After this point through to T−31 seconds, they are in charge of implementing a manual hold if necessary. After T−31 seconds only an automatic cutoff is available. The automatic cutoff recycles the countdown clock to T−20 minutes. Usually this will extend the launch time beyond the launch window causing a scrub and a 24-hour turnaround.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180px" perrow="6">
File:NASA Launch Control Center renovated control room.jpg|Interior of the recently renovated firing room 1 in 2018.
</gallery>

{{Wide image|Launch_Control_Center_panorama.jpg|1400px|3=<div align=center>Wide angle panorama of the Launch Control Center.</div>|dir=rtl}}

==See also==
*[[Ground station]]
*[[Launch status check]]
*[[Mission control center]]
*[[Spacecraft naming]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*[http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-lcc.html#sts-ksc-lps Launch Control Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018185046/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/technology/sts-newsref/sts-lcc.html#sts-ksc-lps |date=2016-10-18 }}
*[http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lcc.html Launch Control Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619073050/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lcc.html |date=2008-06-19 }} Main page.
*[http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/launch-team.html Launch Team] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619025300/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/launch-team.html |date=2015-06-19 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://apollolaunchcontrol.com/v20test/http___www.apollolaunchcontrol.com_/Firing_Rooms.html History of the Firing Rooms] at the Launch Control Center
* [http://www.capcomespace.net/dossiers/espace_US/apollo/ksc/LCC/LCC%20dessin%20coupe%20dessus.jpg Floor plan layout of the Firing Rooms] at the Launch Control Center
*[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/firing_room_4_f.html New Launch Control Room Ready for STS-121 Liftoff] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729085155/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/firing_room_4_f.html |date=2021-07-29 }}
*[http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lps.html KSC Launch Processing System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924185515/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/lps.html |date=2020-09-24 }}

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{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}

[[Category:Kennedy Space Center]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Merritt Island, Florida]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Brevard County, Florida]]