The First Rocket Launch from Cape Canaveral . ... Credit Copyright: GRIN , NASA Explanation: A new chapter in space flight began this week in 1950 July with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral , Florida : the Bumper V-2. Shown above , the Bumper V-2 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program that topped a V-2 missile base with a WAC Corporal rocket. ... Bumper V-2 rockets carried small payloads that allowed them to measure attributes including air temperature and cosmic ray impacts. ...