1963-05-09 USA Titan II N-14 Test Flight

A Titan II N-14 Test Flight cover featuring a "Swanson" stamped cachet, postmarked at Cape Canaveral with a hand cancel on May 9, 1963.

Titan II N-14 was launched from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 9, 1963. The vehicle was an Air Force Titan II being tested as part of the missile's development program. The Titan II would later be adapted into the Gemini-Titan II (GLV) launch vehicle.

At this point, NASA and the U.S. Air Force were working closely to make the Titan II reliable enough to carry astronauts. A major concern was that a missile designed for military use was not automatically suitable for human spaceflight. NASA selected a modified Titan II as the launch vehicle for Project Gemini because it could provide the necessary performance for the two-person spacecraft. But it needed modifications to make it "man-rated".