Space Shuttle era On April 14, 1972, NASA announced the selection of KSC as the launch and landing site for the Space Shuttle program. On December 10, 1973, KSC requested bids from 50 construction firms to build a runway to accommodate the Shuttle. On March 18, 1974, NASA awarded a contract to
Morrison–Knudsen for the construction of the runway, including overruns, aprons, taxiways, and access roads. Construction of the runway began on April 1, 1974. The SLF officially opened in 1976 after receiving certification from the
Federal Aviation Administration. The runway was first used to land a Space Shuttle on February 11, 1984, when ''
Challenger's STS-41-B mission returned to Earth. This also marked the first landing of a spacecraft at its launch site. Prior to this, all Shuttle landings were performed at Edwards Air Force Base in California (with the exception of STS-3, which landed at White Sands Space Harbor) while the landing facility continued testing and Shuttle crews developed landing skills at White Sands and Edwards, where the margin for error is much greater than SLF and its water hazards. On September 22, 1993, Discovery'' was the first Space Shuttle to land at night at the SLF on
STS-51. A total of 78 Space Shuttle missions landed at the SLF (58% of the 135 missions). In October 2014, NASA signed agreement for the use of the facility, and Boeing upgraded the OPF-1 for the X-37B program. The X-37B (
OTV-4 mission) first used Runway 15 on May 7, 2017 at 11:47 UTC. Subsequently
OTV-5 and
6 mission used Runway 33 for landing. In 2012,
NASA's Johnson Space Center's
Project Morpheus's first vehicle arrived at KSC. Prior to arrival at KSC and throughout the project, Morpheus vehicle tests were performed at other NASA centers; KSC was the site for advanced testing. Multiple tests, including free flight, were performed at the SLF in 2013–2014. Multiple vehicles and iterations of the vehicles were tested, due to upgrades and damages during this experimental test program. During the August 9, 2012, test at the SLF, a vehicle exploded; no one was injured. The SLF has also been used by commercial users.
Zero Gravity Corporation, which offers flights where passengers experience
brief periods of microgravity, has operated from the SLF, as have record-setting attempts by the
Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. The SLF has been the site of high performance automobile testing and speed record attempts. In 2010,
NASCAR teams used the facility for vehicle testing. In 2012, Performance Power's Johnny Bohmer drove his Ford GT modified test car at the SLF, setting the
Guinness World Records mark for 'Fastest standing mile – car' with a record , which still stands as of March 2023. Bohmer impressed the fact that the partnership agreement with NASA and the SLF to test the technology and designs and collect engineering data meant that "[B]y NASA allowing us access to a one-of-a-kind facility, we are given the opportunity to explore these technologies and share their benefits." The Shuttle Landing Facility served as launch and landing site for the world speed record, certified by the
Guinness World Records and the World Air Sports Federation
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. == Gallery ==