SpaceX takes over former ULA launch site, gaining second West Coast pad

Space Launch Delta 30, the unit tasked with operating the Western Range, has granted a lease to the historic Space Launch Complex 6 out at Vandenberg Space Force Base to SpaceX. This brings SpaceX’s total launch sites to five, with SLC-6 being the company’s second West Coast pad.

SpaceX gains former Space Shuttle/Delta IV Heavy launch site

SpaceX can now state they are the proud operator of not one but two former Space Shuttle launch pads. While it was never used, SLC-6 was designated as the West Coast launch site of NASA’s Space Shuttle for Department of Defense missions for a short time. It even got as far along as fit tests with Shuttle Enterprise.

Sadly, the post-Challenger world had a significantly reduced reliance on the Space Shuttle, and the DoD decided to look at expendable rockets for more missions, including for the West Coast. However, the pad’s already finished infrastructure turned out perfect for Boeing (eventually ULA), which leased the pad for its Delta IV rockets.

The Delta IV launched ten times from SLC-6, making its final launch for the National Reconnaissance Office in September of 2022. The pad still features many of the structures intended for the Space Shuttle, like the assembly building and mobile service structure, which can be moved to in case the launch pad.

With the final two Delta IV Heavy launches scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, ULA no longer needs SLC-6. Instead, the company will consolidate its launches into a single pad, SLC-3, for its new Vulcan rocket. This is also the pad ULA’s Atlas V launched from last November, its final West Coast mission.

Use case for a second West Coast launch pad

The addition of SLC-6 brings SpaceX’s total launch sites up to four, two on the East Coast, Starbase in South Texas, and now SLC-4 and 6 at Vandenberg. SLD 30 states in its press release that SpaceX will use the pad for “Falcon rocket launches,” so sorry to those hoping for another Starship launch site. But hey, there weren’t plans at the start for Starship at LC-39A, too, so don’t lose hope.

SLC-6 is a much larger facility than SLC-4 and already has much of the infrastructure for payload integration—specifically verticle integration. A capability SpaceX needs for future national security launches.

This also gives SpaceX the opportunity to build a new launch pad that can support both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy vehicles. A capability that is still only available at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. SpaceX would also have to build another landing pad somewhere at Vandenberg. Currently, SpaceX has LZ-4 at SLC-4 but would need a second if they want to return both side booster of a Falcon Heavy rocket.

SpaceX is on the grind to launch 100 rockets this year, and while Vandenberg has been a relatively quiet spaceport in the past, we’re looking at almost 40 launches in 2023. Nearly all of them are from SpaceX.