A controlled demolition in June along the California coastline is making way for a new complex for SpaceX to launch its rockets.
Explosive charges detonated June 16 to bring down decades-old infrastructure at one of the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s most historic launch sites in Santa Barbara County. Up next, the cleared launch complex will be upgraded for tech mogul Elon Musk’s commercial spaceflight company to have a second launch site in Southern California.
The operation comes amid a growing spaceflight industry along the central and southern coast of California. Launch records have been surpassed year after year at Vandenberg, which saw a historic 71 rocket launches in 2025.
SpaceX has by far led the charge in California, where it regularly launches its Falcon 9 rocket on missions to deploy its own Starlink internet satellites, as well as military and other commercial payloads.
Here’s what to know about Space Launch Complex-6, as well as SpaceX’s expanding West Coast operations there.
SpaceX to add 2nd launch site for Falcon rockets in California
The U.S. Space Force conducted a controlled demolition June 16 at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, setting off explosive charges that severed the supports of several large structures at Space Launch Complex-6.
The demolition will allow SpaceX to convert the site for “modernized” operations, Vandenberg officials said in a press release.
While SpaceX has not publicly commented on its plans for SLC-6, the company is expected to use the complex for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. Vandenberg officials have previously indicated to the USA TODAY Network that the Falcon Heavy – the 230-foot cousin of the Falcon 9 equipped with three reusable core boosters that make it much more powerful – could make its West Coast debut in 2027.
What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base?
The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California.
Established in 1941, the site – managed by Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force – was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it’s a military base, the growing site leases facilities to commercial spaceflight companies like SpaceX, which provide launch services to government and private customers.
What is ‘historic’ Space Launch Complex-6?
Space Launch Complex-6 is considered “one of the nation’s most historic launch facilities,” according to Vandenberg officials.
Construction of SLC-6 began in 1966 to support the U.S. Air Force’s Cold War-era Manned Orbiting Laboratory program that would have placed military astronauts into polar orbit. While that program was canceled before a launch, the facility survived and was repurposed for NASA’s space shuttle program in the 2000s – though no shuttle ever lifted off from California.
Most recently, launch services provider United Launch Alliance – a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing – used the site for its Athena and Delta IV rocket operations. The final Delta IV launch from the West Coast occurred Sept. 24, 2022, rendering the site inactive for nearly four years.
“Space Launch Complex-6 represents six decades of American innovation and our unwavering commitment to securing space superiority,” Col. James Horne III, Space Launch Delta 30 commander, said in a statement.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX most active launch provider in California
SpaceX is already by far the most active launch provider in California, where it typically launches its Falcon 9 rocket one to three times per week.
The company’s agreement with the Space Force would give SpaceX a second launch complex in addition to Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E).
Most of SpaceX’s missions in California are to deploy the company’s Starlink broadband internet satellites into its massive constellation in low-Earth orbit – a region closer to the planet’s atmosphere. But SpaceX also provides launch services to paying customers, including the U.S. military, NASA and other aerospace companies, to deliver other kinds of payloads into space.
Vandenberg adds other new launch sites for Blue Origin, more
The upgraded launch site would be the among the latest major planned developments at Vandenberg.
The Space Force recently announced it is seeking applications from aerospace companies interested in leasing a new launch site, Space Launch Complex-9, located in the northern region of the base. The complex has been identified as a viable launch location for small- and medium-class rockets.
Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, also has plans to expand its rocket launch operations to the West Coast. In May, Vandenberg announced that it had reached an agreement with Blue Origin for the company to lease a new launch complex, SLC-14, located at the southernmost point of the base.
Though the site is years away from being ready, it will eventually support Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, a towering 322-foot heavy-lift class vehicle that could eventually launch lunar landers toward the moon for NASA.
The United Launch Alliance is also readying Space Launch Complex-3 East for the West Coast debut of its Vulcan rocket.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Historic Vandenberg launch complex razed to make way for SpaceX
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
