SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida, USA

SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

SLC-40 (Space Launch Complex 40) is a launch pad located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Initially opened as Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) and used by the United States Air Force for 55 launches of rockets from the Titan family between 1965 and 2005.

In 2007, SpaceX acquired a lease for SLC-40 and has since transformed the complex into a high-volume launch site for the Falcon 9 rocket. As of February 2025, the pad has hosted over 230 Falcon 9 launches.

A major setback occurred in 2016 when a catastrophic explosion during a static fire test heavily damaged the facility. After extensive repairs and upgrades, the launch pad returned to service in December 2017. To further enhance its capabilities, a tower and access arm were added in 2023 to support SpaceX’s crewed missions.

SpaceX leased SLC-40 from the U.S. Air Force in April 2007 to launch its Falcon 9 rocket. 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.