Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center

The Rocco A. Petrone Launch Control Center is a building of public administration at the Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County, Florida, housing several control rooms with monitors and technical systems for rocket launches. The rooms feature workstations where engineers track data during launch phases, and large windows offer direct views of the launch pads in the distance.

The control center was built in 1965 to coordinate the complex technical operations of early space programs and played a central role in the Apollo missions during the following years. Later it was adapted for Space Shuttle launches and other crewed and uncrewed missions, making it a lasting part of American spaceflight history.

The name honors Rocco A. Petrone, an engineer who directed ground operations for the Apollo program and later held senior leadership positions at NASA. His work in the early days of human spaceflight helped standardize technical procedures still used in control centers around the world today.

The center sits within the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and can be visited during certain guided tours that provide access to historic control rooms. Visitors should check in advance which tours are available, as not all areas are open daily.

During a launch, the building transfers operational responsibility to Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, after liftoff, marking a decisive moment in every flight. This handoff reflects the division of tasks between ground and flight control that has remained in place since the start of crewed spaceflight.