Historic California launch pad demolished to make way for SpaceX operations

Space Launch Complex-6 (SLC-6) at Vandenberg Space Force Station in Southern California, one of the United States' most historically significant but underutilised space launch sites, has been cleared of its decades-old infrastructure. On June 16, 2026, demolition charges brought down the access tower, mobile service tower, and remaining assembly building at the facility—known colloquially as "slick-six." The controlled detonations occurred at 11 am PDT, with the announcement coming only hours after completion.

SLC-6 carries a complex legacy as a site better known for what never launched than for operational successes. Developed in 1966 to support the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program—which aimed to send astronauts into Earth orbit for reconnaissance missions using hardware adapted from NASA's Project Gemini—the pad never saw a single launch. The MOL program was cancelled in June 1969 before any missions could occur. The Air Force subsequently repurposed SLC-6 as the intended West Coast launch site for Department of Defense space shuttle missions, with plans to permanently base the orbiter Discovery there. Unlike NASA's Kennedy Space Center, SLC-6 was uniquely designed to stack the shuttle directly on the pad rather than in a distant assembly building.

Now, the cleared pad will support modern commercial spaceflight operations. SpaceX will utilise the modernised facility for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy missions as part of an ongoing partnership between the space company and the U.S. military. Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg, characterised the redevelopment as building on decades of American achievement. "Space Launch Complex-6 represents six decades of American innovation and our unwavering commitment to securing space superiority," he stated. "By modernizing this historic footprint in partnership with our defense industrial base, we are building directly upon the foundation of our pioneers."

The demolition was executed as planned but kept confidential until completion, consistent with typical security protocols at military space facilities. Foggy conditions characteristic of Vandenberg's marine environment provided a somber backdrop to the destruction of the historic structures.