Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral, a cape midway on Florida's eastern coast. From 1963 to 1973 it was known as Cape Kennedy, after President John F. Kennedy. The cape and surrounding areas serve as a center for missile and space exploration projects. The U.S. Air Force maintains Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and nearby Patrick Air Force Base. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operates the Kennedy Space Center, located across the bay from Cape Canaveral, on Merritt Island. Installations in the cape area include launch sites, testing laboratories, a liquid fuel plant, assembly buildings, and various other related facilities. The Air Force Space Museum is at Cape Canaveral A.F.S. Just north of the Kennedy Space Center is the Canaveral National Seashore, a nature reserve that is part of the National Park System.
Cape Canaveral was discovered and named by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The nation's first missile-testing station began operating on the cape in 1950.