The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the U.S. government (Federal government of the United States) installation that manages and operates Americas astronaut launch facilities. Serving as the base for the countrys three space shuttles, the NASA field center also conducts unmanned civilian launches from adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (operated by the 45th Space Wing). KSC has been the launch site for every U.S. human space flight since 1968. Its iconic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) is the fourth-largest structure in the world by volume.

Located on Merritt Island, Florida, the center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean, midway between Miami (Miami, Florida) and Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Florida) on Floridas Space Coast. It is 34 miles (55 km) long and roughly 6 miles (10 km) wide, covering convert219sqmi. A total of 13,500 people worked at the center as of 2008. shuttle launch from Pad 39A on February 3, 1994

All launch operations are conducted at Launch Complex 39 (Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39) (LC-39), where the shuttles major components (orbiter (space shuttle orbiter), external fuel tank (space shuttle external tank) and booster rockets (space shuttle solid rocket booster)) arrive, are stacked (mated) and checked out inside the VAB; then moved to Pad 39A for launch. Shuttles were also launched from adjoining Pad 39B until 2007, when it was modified for the 2009 Ares I-X launch. Both pads (Launch pad) are on the ocean, 3 miles (5 km) east of the VAB. The Shuttle Landing Facility, among the longest runways in the world, is just to the north. From 1969-1972, LC-39 was the departure point for all six Apollo (Apollo program) manned Moon landing missions using the Saturn V, the largest and most powerful operational launch vehicle in history.

The KSC Industrial Area, where many of the centers support facilities are located, is convert5mikm0 south of LC-39. It includes the Headquarters Building, the Operations and Checkout Building and the Central Instrumentation Facility. KSC is also home to the Merritt Island Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network station (MILA), a key radio communications and spacecraft tracking complex. The center operates its own short-line railroad (NASA Railroad).

KSC is a major Central Florida tourist destination and is approximately one hours drive from Walt Disney World and other theme parks in the Orlando area. The Visitors Complex offers public tours of the center and adjacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Because much of the installation is a restricted area and only nine percent of the land is developed, the site also serves as an important wildlife sanctuary; Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River (Indian River (Florida)), Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore are other features of the area. Center workers can encounter Bald Eagles, American alligators, wild boars (Razorback), Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus), Florida panthers and Florida manatee (West Indian Manatee)s. KSC is one of ten major NASA field centers, and has several facilities (Kennedy_Space_Center#KSC_facilities_on_the_National_Register_of_Historic_Places) listed on the National Register of Historic Places.