There's A Reason SpaceX Stopped Launching From Kennedy Space Center

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There's A Reason SpaceX Stopped Launching From Kennedy Space Center
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While Aaron went to college to pursue a degree in engineering, he learned that he enjoyed writing about engineering more than actually doing it, and he had a knack for explaining complicated concepts in layman's terms.

When you think of a shuttle or rocket launching into space, odds are the Kennedy Space Center comes to mind. After all, some of the most momentous expeditions, including the Apollo missions, took off from the center's very own Launch Complex 39A.

In 2014, the Kennedy Space Center signed a deal with SpaceX, making the company a tenant and giving it permission to use the launch pad to shoot its rockets into orbit. However, that partnership has seemingly gone on hiatus as SpaceX prepares for the next phase of its space launch operations. During a SpaceX Crew-12 pre-launch press meeting in February 2026, senior mission manager Lee Echerd stated that the company plans to reserve LC 39A for"Falcon Heavy launches and hopefully our first Starship launches later this year." For clarification, SpaceX has launched Starship rockets before, but those were all test flights from SpaceX's own facility in Texas — some of which ended inplans to shift most Falcon 9 launches to Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station instead of using 39A. However, thewebsite says SpaceX plans to install new infrastructure at LC 39A to support Starship-Super Heavy launches. But the company must"obtain a new or modification of an existing vehicle operator license" before it can proceed.While Kiko Dontchev's statement focused on shifting Falcon 9 launches to SLC 40, the organization is using that platform for other purposes. During his press briefing, Lee Echerd stated that most upcoming Falcon 9 and all future Dragon missions would shoot into space from SLC 40. This decision didn't just come out of left field, though. SpaceX began modifying SLC 40 to support crewed Dragon missions in 2023, and the work was completed in 2024. In fact, most upcoming launches in the near term — which utilize the Falcon 9 – will shoot up into space from SLC 40. And while SpaceX used both LC 39A and SLC 40 for its launches throughout the years, December 17, 2025 marked the final SpaceX mission to take off from LC 39A for the time being. The next SpaceX mission planned to use LC 39A is a tentative July 2026 Falcon Heavy launch. This rocket will carry the Astrobotic Griffin lander and the FLIP lunar rover, a smaller and more advanced version of the

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