Launchpad

Rockets are cool. All sorts of awesome technology, a bunch of fire and noise, all the promise of what they’re after – what’s not to like?

If you get a bunch of space enthusiasts together and ask them to tell you all their favorite things about rockets, those are the kinds of answers you’ll likely hear. The different kinds of engines. The physics behind calculating the launches. All that stuff. Very few people would probably say that their favorite thing about rockets was the big concrete slab that they take off from.

But the launchpad is vital. The secure foundation, the level surface, the stability to hold everything in place while you get ready. These are critical components of a successful launch.

A launchpad isn’t flashy or fun. It doesn’t even look like it has anything to do with space when you’re first starting to build it. But you need it. Perhaps more importantly, you can build it once and launch a hundred rockets from it if you built it right.