California shuttle launch towers razed for SpaceX rocket upgrades

One of America’s most iconic launch sites has undergone a dramatic transformation, with its aging support towers demolished to clear the way for next-generation rockets. Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Space Force Base,known colloquially as “slick-six”,is perhaps more famous for the missions that never flew from its pad than for those that actually did.

On Tuesday, June 16, a series of controlled explosions brought down the access tower, mobile service tower, and the remnants of the assembly building at SLC-6, located in Southern California. Originally built for the U. S. Air Force’s first attempt to launch astronauts into space, and later designated as the West Coast home for the space shuttle, SLC-6 will soon be repurposed by SpaceX to support Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches.

“Space Launch Complex-6 represents six decades of American innovation and our unwavering commitment to securing space superiority,” said Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg, in a statement. “By modernizing this historic footprint in partnership with our defense industrial base, we are building directly upon the foundation of our pioneers.”

Though the demolition had been anticipated for some time, the Air Force only confirmed the operation hours after it concluded at 11 a.m. PDT (1800 GMT) on Tuesday. The explosions toppled the access tower first, followed by the mobile service tower, and finally the large assembly building adorned with an American flag. True to Vandenberg’s coastal character, a marine layer of low clouds and fog lent a subdued, almost solemn atmosphere to the event.

A pad with an unfulfilled past

SLC-6 was originally constructed in 1966 to support the Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program, an ambitious effort to send astronauts into Earth orbit for reconnaissance missions using hardware adapted from NASA’s Project Gemini. The site’s mobile service tower and concrete apron were built specifically for the Titan IIIM modified missile. But the MOL program was canceled in June 1969, before a single rocket ever launched from SLC-6.

Hoping to salvage some of the investment, the Air Force later selected SLC-6 as the West Coast launch site for Department of Defense space shuttle missions. Planners intended to permanently station the orbiter Discovery in California, and they designed SLC-6 with a key difference from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center: the shuttle would be stacked directly on the pad rather than in a distant assembly building. Yet again, however, the shuttle never flew from SLC-6 on a regular basis, leaving the complex as a monument to unrealized ambitions.

Now, with the old towers reduced to rubble, SpaceX is poised to write a new chapter for this storied site. The demolition clears the way for modern rocket infrastructure that will support the company’s growing launch cadence from the West Coast, ensuring that SLC-6 finally fulfills its long-deferred promise.