In the end, only the prototype Enterprise was stood up with an external tank and solid rocket boosters on SLC-6 before the Challenger tragedy in 1986 caused the DOD to rethink its reliance on the shuttle. Again, the Air Force walked away from the built-up facility, having never launched a single mission.
Credit:
U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. James Pearson
NASA’s prototype space shuttle orbiter Enterprise, stacked with an external tank and two solid rocket boosters, stands at Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6), flanked by the assembly building and mobile service tower at Vandenberg Air Force Base (today Vandenberg Space Force Base) in California in February 1985.
Credit:
U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. James Pearson
After a brief effort to revive SLC-6 for use with the Titan IV in the early 1990s, the site finally saw its first operational use with the launch of Lockheed Martin’s LMLV-1 in 1995, followed by Athena I and Athena II rockets with payloads for NASA and Space Imaging (later GlobalEye) in 1997 and 1999, respectively.
Boeing (later United Launch Alliance or ULA) then leased the site and modified the shuttle-legacy structures, including the assembly building, mobile service tower, and access tower, for a series of 10 Delta IV rocket launches on missions for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The final launch from SLC-6 to date was of a Delta IV Heavy on September 24, 2022.
SpaceX at SLC-6
In 2023, SpaceX signed a lease to use SLC-6 for its Falcon rockets. Tuesday’s demolition advanced the company’s plans toward modernizing the site.
Since 2013, SpaceX has been launching Falcon 9 rockets from Space Launch Complex-4 (SLC-4) at Vandenberg.
In addition to now having access to SLC-6 itself, SpaceX in 2016 acquired the Orbiter Transporter System (OTS) originally developed for the West Coast site. The 76-wheel motorized vehicle is now used to transport flown Falcon 9 first stages from the company’s Cape Canaveral facilities to its Florida launch pads.
Credit:
U.S. Space Force/Staff Sgt. Daekwon Stith
Explosive charges sever the structural supports of the Fixed Umbilical Tower at Space Launch Complex-6 during a controlled demolition on June 16, 2026, at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Credit:
U.S. Space Force/Staff Sgt. Daekwon Stith
According to a 2025 environmental impact study, SpaceX expects it will take an additional 18 months to complete modifications to SLC-6, including the construction of two landing pads for the reusable Falcon 9 first stage boosters. Falcon Heavy launches could begin as soon as 2030, pending the NRO’s needs.
“We are not just updating infrastructure,” said Horne. “We are leveraging industry capabilities to field a more resilient space enterprise, ensuring the United States is prepared to protect our national interests and meet future challenges for decades to come.”
Click through to collectSPACE for more photos of the demolition of the SLC-6 support towers.
