Visit the Delta-01 Launch Control Facility

Approaching the Delta-01 from the Interstate, it looks like a lone ranch house in the open grassland. Over the years, most travelers on the nearby Interstate probably did not give the site a second look or even know what military capabilities lay within the South Dakota plains.

Details

Activity

Scenic Driving

Visitors to the site can view Delta-01 as they would have historically—from outside of the fence. Advanced reservations are required to attend the ranger-led tour inside Delta-01.

Pets Allowed

Yes

Pets are allowed outside the fenced enclosure of Delta-01, provided that they are leashed.

Activity Fee

No

No fee is required to visit the exterior of Delta-01; A reservation and fee is required for the separate ranger-led tour inside the compound.

Reservations

No

No reservation is required to visit the exterior of Delta-01; A reservation and fee is required for the separate ranger-led tour inside the compound.

Season

Year Round

Time of Day

Day

Accessibility Information

•  

This activity is a vehicle-based exploration of a portion of the South Dakota landscape. Most of the sites on this tour are privately owned and have no accessibility accommodations. The Delta-01 site is accessible by car with no facilities.

Delta-01 as seen from the road, 1992.

NPS/HAER

The area surrounding the site, outside of the security fence, is open grassland with a few small privately owned agricultural buildings located several hundred feet to the northwest. Terrain at the site rises gradually toward the north. A chain- link security fence, topped with strands of barbed wire, encloses the site’s buildings and structures. Access to the site is provided by a gently curving gravel driveway on the west side of the county road. The driveway passes over a steel cattle guard and through a remote-controlled, chain-link, sliding gate in the security fence. The LCF support building and the vehicle storage building are located just inside the security fence, with an asphalt drive and parking area to their front. The Launch Control Center , accessed from the LCF support building, is located below ground and is not visible. Even though Interstate 90 is visible to the south of the site, it has a largely isolated feeling, with the wind whipping across the plains frequently serving as the only companionship.

The remaining area encompassed by the security fence is covered with native grass that was routinely mowed by the Air Force. The area inside the security fence includes a variety of electronic, mechanical, and recreational features designed to support operations and provide diversion for crew assigned to the facility. These features include a volleyball court, horseshoe pit, underground diesel storage tank, aboveground diesel storage tank, water well, gas pump, basketball hoop, flagpole, and utility poles. A code burner, used to destroy security codes, consisting of an open metal drum mounted on metal legs, is located near the volleyball court. Larger-scale resources within the security fence include the hardened high frequency transmit antenna, hardened HF receive antenna, hardened ultrahigh frequency antenna, survivable low-frequency communication system antenna, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile super-high-frequency satellite terminal antenna, television satellite dish, and HICS. A concrete helicopter pad, two sewage lagoons, and the cathodic protection rectifier are located outside of the security fence to the south. A barbed-wire fence with wooden posts surrounds the lagoons.

“Mike and Beth’s” launch control center

Between 1985-87, volunteers across the country participated in a project to map and publish the locations to all 1,000 Minuteman silos across the country. The intent of the project was to raise awareness of this vast arsenal to the American public. One of the traditions of this project was that the volunteers provided informal names to each silo and control center. These informal designations are a combination of the names of those who mapped the sites, or political and pop cultural references from the era. “Mike and Beth’s” launch control center is named for Mike Sprong and Beth Prehaim, who coordinated the South Dakota mapping project.