1962: The Sea Dragon was a 1962 conceptualized design study for a two-stage sea-launched orbital super heavy-lift launch vehicle. The project was led by Robert Truax. With dimensions of 150 m (490 ft) long and 23 m (75 ft) in diameter, Sea Dragon would have been the largest rocket ever built. It was planned to launch it from the sea because the shock wave of the engines could destroy the launchpad and the rocket itself. The system would be at least partially reusable with passive reentry and rec

11K views · 176 reactions | June 4th - on this day in 1996, ESA -...

Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site is China's newest spaceport. The only launch site built near the sea, it also has the country's tallest vehicle assembly building — reaching 99.4 meters. In summer 2014, Super Typhoon Rammasun made landfall near the city of Wenchang. The over-99-meter-tall plant survived and continues to serve China's Long-March 5 rocket — a heavy-lift launch vehicle with the largest payload built to date in the country. In order to move these beasty rockets in and out vertically,