Titan IIIC and 34D (1965–1989) with
ATS-6 Launch Complex 40 was originally constructed by the
United States Air Force as one of two launch pads of the
Integrate-Transfer-Launch Complex (ITL), tasked with launching
Titan III rockets with
solid rocket boosters. Following the conclusion of Titan operations, the launch complex underwent significant transformation. The tower was dismantled in early 2008, followed by the controlled demolition of the Mobile Service Structure later that year.
SpaceX and Falcon 9 (2007–present) rocket carrying
Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit SpaceX leased LC-40 from the U.S. Air Force in April 2007 to launch its Falcon 9 rocket, getting renamed to SLC-40 much like what happened to SLC-41 and
SLC-37. Ground facility construction began the following year, including a rocket and payload preparation hangar and new fuel tanks. A spherical liquid oxygen tank previously used at
LC-34 was purchased from NASA. The first Falcon 9 arrived in late 2008, with the inaugural launch in June 2010 carrying a dummy payload. A
Dragon spacecraft demonstration flight followed in December. Starting in 2012, SLC-40 became the primary launch site for the Dragon cargo vehicle providing provide two-way
logistics to and
from the International Space Station, a role previously filled by the
Space Shuttle until its retirement in 2011. To accommodate the heavier Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket, the launch pad was modified in 2013. Launch frequency gradually increased from 2014, with a mix of Dragon and satellite missions. A catastrophic explosion occurred at SLC-40 in September 2016 during a static fire test, destroying a Falcon 9 rocket and its payload, the
AMOS-6 satellite. The incident caused significant damage to the launch pad. After a thorough investigation and cleanup, repairs and upgrades began in early 2017. SLC-40 returned to service in December 2017 with the successful launch of
CRS-13. SpaceX had leased
Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the nearby
Kennedy Space Center from NASA in April 2014, which allowed launches to continue to from Florida during the reconstruction of SLC-40. In August 2018, LC-39A's crew access tower received an access arm, allowing crew to be loaded onto
Crew Dragon 2 capsules along with late payload changes on
Cargo Dragon 2 capsules. Because SLC-40 lacked an access tower, Dragon missions were paused after the original Dragon 1 capsule was retired in 2020. launching from SLC-40, with the crew access arm retracted for flight.In the 2020s, SLC-40 would become SpaceX's "workhorse" launch pad, hosting less complex satellite launch missions as frequently as every week, completing 50 launches of this launch pad alone in 2023. Meanwhile, LC-39A was used less, being reserved for Dragon crew and cargo flights, Falcon Heavy missions, and other complex missions. The tower was first used ahead of in early 2024 to accommodate late loading of supplies into cargo spacecraft. SLC-40 was used to launch its first crewed mission in September 2024,
SpaceX Crew-9. The mission had been slated to use LC-39A, but was shifted to SLC-40 when the launch was delayed due to issues with the
Boeing Starliner Calypso spacecraft that was docked to the ISS. In addition, the delay would have bled into LC-39A's conversion process into
Falcon Heavy launches, as one was being used to launch NASA's
Europa Clipper in October. SpaceX built a Falcon landing pad within the SLC40 launch complex to eliminate use of
Landing Zones 1 and 2. The first landing on this pad occurred on February 13, 2026. == Launch & Landing history ==