Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40
Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40), sometimes pronounced Slick Forty and previously Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) is a launch pad for rockets located at the north end of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
SLC-40 during launch of Cygnus NG-20 in January 2024 with the newly constructed Crew Access Tower and Arm for future crewed launches | |||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 28.562106°N 80.577180°W | ||||||||||
| Short name | SLC-40 | ||||||||||
| Operator | SpaceX | ||||||||||
| Total launches | 235 | ||||||||||
| Launch pad(s) | 1 | ||||||||||
| Orbital inclination range | 28–98° | ||||||||||
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The launch pad was used by the United States Air Force for 55 Titan III and Titan IV launches between 1965 and 2005. The facility underwent multiple upgrades including the design and construction of towers with retractable and foldable platforms for vehicle assembly, instrumentation and monitoring.
After 2007, the US Air Force leased the complex to SpaceX to launch the Falcon 9 rocket. As of March 2024, there have been 174 launches of the Falcon 9 from the complex. The site was heavily damaged following the September 2016 static fire incident, due to a catastrophic failure during the test. The complex was repaired and returned to operational status in December 2017 for the CRS-13 mission. Later, a Crew Access Tower and Arm was added in third quarter of 2023 to supplement SpaceX Dragon 2 operations at Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.