Editing Launch pad (section)

=== Transport of rockets to the pad ===
{{main|Mobile launcher platform}}
{{original research|section|date=November 2018}}
[[File:Soyuz Rolls Out.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Transport of [[Soyuz rocket]] to pad by train]]
[[File:STS-114 rollout.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Transport of [[Space Shuttle]] and [[Mobile launcher platform|MLP]] to pad on [[Crawler-transporter]]]]
[[File:Falcon 9 preparing to launch DSCOVR (16673054016).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[SLC-40]] with SpaceX [[Falcon 9]] launch infrastructure. The four towers surrounding the rocket are [[lightning arrester]]s, and acts like a giant [[Faraday cage]]]]
[[File:Pas-de-tir-du-lanceur-KSLV-II-à-Naro-3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The second launch pad at [[Naro Space Center]] in South Korea is a fixed launch tower.]]
Each launch site is unique, but a few broad types can be described by the means by which the [[space vehicle]] gets to the pad.{{cn|date=November 2018}}

* Horizontally integrated rockets travel horizontally with the tail forward to the launch site on a [[transporter erector launcher]] and are then raised to the vertical position over the flame duct. Examples include all large Soviet rockets, including [[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz]], [[Proton (rocket)|Proton]], [[N1 (rocket)|N1]], and [[Energia (rocket)|Energia]]. This method is also used by the [[SpaceX launch vehicles|SpaceX]] and [[Electron (rocket)|Electron]] launch vehicles.
* Silo launched rockets are assembled inside of a [[missile silo]]. This method is only used by converted ICBMs due to the difficulty and expense of constructing a silo that can contain the forces of a rocket launch.
* Vertically integrated rockets can be assembled in a separate [[hangar]] on a [[mobile launcher platform]] (MLP). The MLP contains the umbilical structure and is carried to the launch site on a large vehicle called [[Crawler-transporter]]. [[Launch Complex 39]] at the [[Kennedy Space Center]] is an example of a facility using this method.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/release/1985/252-85r.htm |title=LAUNCH COMPLEX 39, PADS A AND B |publisher=NASA KSC |year=1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921222509/http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/release/1985/252-85r.htm |archive-date=2008-09-21 }}</ref> A similar system is used to launch [[Ariane 5]] rockets at [[ELA-3]] at [[Guiana Space Centre]].
* Vertically assembled vehicles can also be transported on a mobile launcher platform resting on two parallel standard gauge railroad tracks that run from the integration building to launch area. This system is in use for the [[Atlas V]] and future [[Vulcan (rocket)|Vulcan]].
* At [[Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6|SLC-6]] and [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 37|SLC-37]], rockets are assembled on the launch mount. A windowless rail-mounted building encloses the launch pad and gantry to protect the vehicle from the elements, and for purposes of military secrecy. Prior to launch,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cpsblaunchpad.com/cpsb-launchpad-4/ |title=Cpsb Launchpad |publisher=Viswanath |year=2023 |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-06-16 |archive-date=2023-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616125001/https://cpsblaunchpad.com/cpsb-launchpad-4/ }}</ref> the building is rolled away. This method is also used at [[Kagoshima Space Center|Kagoshima]] for the [[M-V]].
* The former [[Sea Launch]] service used the converted self-propelled oil drilling platform ''[[Ocean Odyssey]]'' to transport [[Zenit 3SL]] rockets horizontally to the [[Equator]], and then to erect and launch them from a [[floating launch platform]] into [[geostationary transfer orbit]]s.