posted 04-24-2023 07:44 PM               

Space Launch Delta 30 To Lease Space Launch Complex 6 To SpaceX

Col. Rob Long, Space Launch Delta 30 commander, signed a statement of support on April 21, 2023, granting SpaceX permission to lease Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) for Falcon rocket launches.

SLC-6 previously supported the Delta IV vehicle family and has remained vacant since the final Delta IV Heavy launch on Sept. 24, 2022.

The decision is the result of SLD 30's launch pad allocation strategy, which is a process to evaluate the suitability of various launch sites for different types of rockets and payloads. The process is critical to ensuring that launches are safe, and that the selected launch site can accommodate the unique requirements of each mission. This was the first round of launch pad allocations, and additional rounds of allocations will occur in the future after further operational analysis.

"This is an exciting time for Vandenberg Space Force Base, our nation's premier West Coast launch site for military, civil and commercial space operations," said Col. Rob Long, SLD 30 commander. "This agreement will add to the rich history of SLC-6 and builds on the already strong partnership with SpaceX."

posted 06-17-2026 09:16 AM               

Towers for California space shuttle launches demolished for SpaceX Falcon rockets

One of the United States' most-storied space launch sites has been cleared of its decades-old support towers, making way for modern rockets to use the pad. Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Space Force Station is arguably more famous for what did not lift off from there then what did.

A series of demolition charges on Tuesday (June 16), brought down the access tower, mobile service tower and what remained of the assembly building at SLC-6 — pronounced "slick-six" — in southern California. Once the location for the U.S. Air Force's first effort to put humans into space and later, the almost West Coast launch site for the space shuttle, SLC-6 will next be used by SpaceX in support of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions.