Rocket Platform Crossword

“Rocket platform” crossword clue. A Daily Telegraph Sydney big one crossword question on Tuesday, 6 Jun 2017. 11 letters.

The answer: LAUNCHPAD

A launch pad is an above-ground platform from which rocket- missiles or space launch vehicles take off vertically. A spaceport (or launch complex) is a facility which includes, and provides required support for, one or more launch pads. A launch pad generally contains a fixed or mobile service structure, which provides one or more access platforms to inspect and maintain the vehicle, and an umbilical structure which provides the vehicle with propellants, cryogenic fluids, electrical power, communications, and telemetry prior to launch.

The service structure also provides access to the crew cabin for vehicles carrying humans. The pad may contain a flame deflection structure to prevent the intense heat of the rocket exhaust from damaging the vehicle or pad structures, and a sound suppression system spraying large quantities of water may be employed. The pad may also be protected by lightning arrestors.