 The airport was originally constructed by the U.S. Navy during World War II as Outlying Field Valkaria (OLF Valkaria), an auxiliary airfield to Naval Air Station Melbourne, now Melbourne International Airport.OLF Valkaria was closed in late 1945 and did not reopen for flight operations until 1959.During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the site was used as a Missile Trajectory Measurement (MISTRAM) station by the U.S. Air Force and NASA in support of launch operations at Cape Canaveral AFS and Kennedy Space Center.