Built in 1959, Hangar AE was originally built for aDepartment of Defense missile program. The facility wasacquired in 1960 by NASA and modified for unmannedmissions.[1] The building contains a Class 10K horizontal laminar flow cleanroom complex, a telemetry ground station, an extensivecommunications center for data, voice and video, 3 launchvehicle data centers (LVDC),[2] the Mission Director’s Center(MDC), and offices for payload and contractor personnel. It is located on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but maintained by NASA Kennedy Space Center.
NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP) utilizes this facilityas its launch communications center.[3] The entire building isenvironmentally controlled.
The Hangar AE control rooms provide real-time voice, dataand video information for expendable vehicle checkout andlaunch operations, similar to that provided by the SpaceShuttle control rooms. Each console in the LVDC has a40-channel voice instrument called a MOCS2 (MissionOperation Communication System version 2). Other areashave 24-channel versions of the MOCS2. Each console hasaccess to an administrative telephone and a modem linefor use with a laptop computer, if required.[4]
The building can obtain data from launch sites beyond those at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch sites for missions Hangar AE has gathered telemetry on include:
The building was one of several Kennedy Space Center buildings to receive substantial damage during Hurricane Frances in 2004.[5] Separately, the clean room experienced a fire and is not currently certified for use.
During the TDRS-L launch in January 2014, LSP engineers located in Hangar AE troubleshot a problem with periodic dropouts in telemetry from the vehicle threatened to stop the launch and allowed the launch to continue that night.[6]